Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition filed by former minister and MLA Vinay R Kulkarni, challenging the order to frame charges against him in the 2016 murder case of Yogesh Goudar, a member of the Dharwad Zilla Panchayat.
Justice Krishna S Dixit, who passed the order, stated that Kulkarni’s petition lacked merits.
Despite dismissing the petition, the court has urged the special court to expedite the trial and conclude the case within three months. Justice Dixit emphasised that cases of this nature should be resolved “before memory fades,” highlighting the importance of swift justice due to the shortness of human life.
Kulkarni is one of the 25 individuals against whom chargesheets have been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), being accused No 15. The special court had earlier, on December 6, 2023, ordered to frame charges against all the accused, including Kulkarni.
While defending the allegations against Kulkarni, the CBI highlighted his attempts to stifle the prosecution by initiating multiple legal cases, even reaching the apex court. However, the Karnataka High Court did not concur with the CBI’s claim that Kulkarni had abused the legal process.
The court further asserted that citizens have the right to seek recourse to the judicial process as many times as necessary if valid grounds exist, emphasizing the importance of due process and an individual’s right to defend themselves.
