Judge Transferred Mid-Sentencing in High-Profile Karnataka MLA Murder Case
Bengaluru: An atmosphere of palpable tension and surprise gripped the special court for elected representatives on Thursday, as proceedings to determine the quantum of punishment for convicted Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and sixteen others were abruptly interrupted by news of the presiding judge's transfer.
Unexpected Judicial Transfer Halts Sentencing
The courtroom, located on the seventh floor of the city's civil court complex on Dr Ambedkar Veedhi, was unusually crowded. All awaited the decision of special judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, who had just the previous day held the accused guilty in the 2016 murder of Yogesh Goudar in Dharwad. As arguments from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) prosecutors and defense counsel unfolded, the unsettling announcement broke: Judge Bhat was being transferred immediately.
His new posting is as director of the Karnataka Mediation Centre in Bengaluru. He will be replaced by KB Shivaprasad, currently serving as additional district and sessions judge I in Mandya. This development forced Judge Bhat to declare that the final sentencing in the murder case would now be announced on Friday.
Speculation and Official Clarification
While those present in the courtroom speculated intensely about the reasons behind this mid-proceeding transfer, officials from the Karnataka High Court provided clarification. They stated the move was part of the annual, routine transfer of judicial officers across the state and not linked to the specific case.
A senior public prosecutor present commented on the situation, noting the difficulty in digesting the timing. "Judge Bhat served here for three years and was scheduled to be transferred. April is the month of transfers, so we have to accept it," the prosecutor said. "But we hope to see more such judges in this special court that hears cases involving politicians, including MLAs, MPs, and ministers. Judgments and orders passed here attract more attention."
The prosecutor highlighted the court's growing prominence, particularly after Judge Bhat himself sentenced former MP Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment in a rape case after a two-year hearing. "This special court became popular after that order," the prosecutor added.
Annual Judicial Reshuffle and CBI's Demands
The transfer was part of broader annual orders issued by the Karnataka High Court, affecting hundreds of judicial officers across various ranks:
- 111 district judges
- 3 ad hoc district judges
- 115 senior civil judges
- 139 civil judges
All officers are required to assume their new charges on the forenoon of June 1. In other key appointments, M Chandrashekhar Reddy will become the new registrar general of the High Court, while Ron Vasudev is the new registrar (judicial).
Meanwhile, during the day's arguments, the CBI strongly urged the court to award life imprisonment without the possibility of remission—effectively imprisonment until death—to former minister and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and the other convicts. Special public prosecutors Shivananda Perla and S Hema also requested the court to mandate "heavy compensation" for the victim's four children, who were minors at the time of the murder.
"The presence of a sitting MLA among the convicts tells how the case involves influential persons," the prosecutors argued. "The quantum of punishment should send a message to society that the law is equal for all." The courtroom now awaits Friday's decision, which will conclude this closely watched legal chapter.
