Overview
- Vinay Kulkarni, sentenced Friday in Bengaluru, received life imprisonment for murder and conspiracy, with 16 co‑accused also given life terms and Rs 16 lakh ordered as compensation to the victim’s children.
- Several convicts received additional prison terms for destroying evidence, and a police officer was handed a separate seven‑year sentence tied to tampering charges.
- The life sentence triggers likely disqualification under the Representation of the People Act, so the judgment will be sent to the Assembly Speaker unless a higher court stays the conviction.
- The case moved from local police to the CBI in 2019, with prosecutors relying on an approver’s testimony, call‑detail records, tower locations, and CCTV footage to link the plot and the attackers.
- Kulkarni’s bail was granted in 2021, canceled in 2025 over alleged attempts to influence witnesses, and restored on February 27, 2026, and his legal team says an appeal against the conviction is next.