The case is based on a personal complaint filed by Vasudev Reddy in 2013. (file)
Bangalore:
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday appeared before a special court, which deals exclusively with criminal cases involving MLAs, in relation to a land-related matter.
Appeared with senior advocate CV Nagesh, Karnataka BJP strongman applied for bail, following which Sessions Judge B Jayanth Kumar sought the complainant’s counsel to respond to the plea.
KV Dhananjay, counsel for the complainant, said that the reply will be filed after considering the bail plea. “If there are reasons to oppose the bail, then objections will be filed,” he said, seeking time for it.
Thereafter, the hearing of the matter was adjourned till Saturday.
The 79-year-old leader was summoned by the special court in 2013 in a private complaint filed by Vasudev Reddy.
The Lokayukta police had filed a B report in the case for want of evidence, though the report was rejected by the special court.
The complaint alleges that Mr Yediyurappa, as deputy chief minister in 2006, illegally denotified 15 acres and 30 gunta of land at Bellandur and Devarabisanahalli in Bengaluru that had been acquired for an IT park.
The court had on May 25 exempted Mr Yediyurappa from the presence and adjourned the matter till June 17 after it was submitted by the former chief minister’s counsel that he was suffering from bilateral pneumonitis, diabetes and hypertension and that the doctor Were on bed rest for 10 days as advised. ,
The case against the main accused in the original complaint – then Industries Minister RV Deshpande – was quashed by the High Court in 2015. Mr Yediyurappa is the only accused in the case who is now facing charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Government of Karnataka acquired 434 acres of land in Bellandur, Devarabisanahalli, Kariyammana Agrahara and Amanibelandur Khane villages for the purpose of Information Technology Park under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act. It is alleged that some of these were declared by Yeddyurappa in favor of private persons.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)