The Karnataka High Court on Friday suspended the life sentences of former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and eight others convicted for the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party member Yogesh Gowda in 2016, Bar and Bench reported.A bench of Justices Mohammad Nawaz and G Basavaraja ordered their release on bail while their appeals are pending. The suspension of the sentence paves the way for Kulkarni to be restored as an MLA. He was disqualified as a legislator in May based on his conviction, The Hindu reported.The court on Friday also suspended the seven-year sentence imposed on suspended police officer Channakeshava B Tingarikar and ordered his release on bail, the legal news outlet reported.On April 15, a special court in Bengaluru had convicted Kulkarni along with 15 others in the murder case. Two days later, it sentenced the Congress leader to life imprisonment.Gowda was killed in June 2016. The case had been investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.The central agency had filed a chargesheet for murder, criminal conspiracy, public servant disobeying the law to shield a person accused in a matter, destruction of evidence, rioting and illegal possession of weapons.Kulkarni had been arrested in November 2020, but was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021.The top court cancelled his bail in June 2025, observing that there was credible evidence that he may have tried to influence witnesses during the trial.Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.