Spelling more trouble for the former Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, the Karnataka High Court today dismissed his anticipatory bail plea while a Lokayukta court ordered filing a charge sheet against him in connection with alleged irregularities in land de-notification.
Close on the heels of the high court rejecting his application seeking bail, Mr Yeddyurappa responded to the summons by Lokayukta special court and appeared before it. The special court directed Lokayukta police to file a charge sheet against him and others.
A division bench of two Justices also “dismissed as withdrawn” another petition seeking quashing of Chapter 22 of the Lokayukta report on illegal mining, which had indicted Mr Yeddyurappa.
The Lokayukta court had directed Mr Yeddyurappa to appear before it today after granting him a day's exemption on August 27.
After Mr Yeddyurappa, his son Mr B.Y. Raghavendra and others appeared before the Lokayukta court, the Judge directed Lokayukta police to file a charge sheet against the accused in the private complaints filed by advocate Mr Sirajin Basha and adjourned the hearing to September 7. The Lokayukta court had on August 8 issued summons to Mr Yeddyurappa and 14 others on a complaint alleging irregularities in denotification of Government lands, seeking their appearance on August 27. Mr Yeddyurappa had moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance on health grounds.
The complaints filed by Mr Basha alleged that Mr Yeddyurappa had denotified 2.5 acres in Arakere, 1.7 acres in Devarahachikkanayakanahalli and 2.80 acres in Geddalahalli when he was the Chief Minister, causing an estimated loss of Rs 124.37 crore to the State exchequer. He also alleged that the denotified lands were subsequently purchased by “benamidars of Yeddyurappa's family members“.
Mr Basha's other complaint against Mr Yeddyurappa, his son and son-in-law, sitting BJP MLA Mr Hemachandra Sagar and former minister Mr S.N. Krishnaiah Shetty and four others is on alleged illegal land denotification of 2.14 acres in Agara village and 10 acres in Uttarahalli, causing a loss of about Rs 175 crore.
The high court adjourned to September 5 another application by Mr Yeddyurappa seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a complaint by JDS leader Mr Y.S.V. Datta alleging financial irregularities in granting tender in Upper Bhadra irrigation project.