On Wednesday, a court in Karnataka convicted Vinay Kulkarni, a senior Congress leader and sitting MLA from Dharwad, for the murder of Yogesh Gowda, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, who was killed in June 2016. The incident, which occurred inside a gym in Dharwad, sparked significant political controversy in the state. Following the recommendation of the BJP-led Karnataka government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case in September 2019. The investigation involved statements from 113 witnesses and a chargesheet naming 21 accused, suggesting a conspiracy driven by political rivalry and hired assassins. Kulkarni was arrested in 2020, spent over nine months in jail, and was granted bail in 2021. However, he faced allegations of witness tampering, leading to a request for bail cancellation by the CBI. Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat found Kulkarni guilty along with 18 others, while two accused were acquitted. The court is set to announce the sentences for the convicted individuals on Thursday.