A court in Gangavathi, Koppal district, has imposed the death penalty on six convicted of murdering Venkatesh Kurubar, a BJP youth leader, on October 8, 2025. The I Additional District and Sessions Court, Gangavathi, had convicted six of the 12 accused on April 23, while acquitting the remaining six, and pronounced the quantum of the sentence on April 30. The accused, driven by previous enmity, had followed Venkatesh and his associates, attacking him with sharp weapons after ramming his scooter with a car, leading to his death. The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, and a special investigation team was formed, which seized 42 material objects and collected statements from 73 witnesses.
The murder took place within the limits of the Gangavathi Town Police Station, where the accused had followed Venkatesh and his associates from Devi Nagar on Kampli Road. The accused, including Ravi, Vijay alias Mailari, Dhanraj, Bharat alias Bhima, Salim, and Gangadhar, were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The key absconding accused, Ravi and Gangadhar Gowli, were traced by the special team and apprehended on October 26, 2025, from a makeshift shelter in Bapooji Nagar on Anantapur Road in Ballari. A comprehensive charge sheet running into 551 pages was filed against the 12 accused before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court in Gangavathi on December 29, 2025.
The trial was completed within three months of filing the charge sheet, and on April 23, 2026, the I Additional District and Sessions Court, Gangavathi, acquitted six of the accused and convicted the remaining six. On April 30, 2026, the court pronounced the sentence, imposing the death penalty on all six convicted. Superintendent of Police Dr Ram L Arasiddi commended all officers and staff involved for their coordinated efforts in swiftly solving the case, filing a strong charge sheet within 90 days, ensuring timely production of witnesses, and securing a conviction and death sentence within six months of the incident.