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. 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.