Karnataka to move SC against HC relief to BSY

15 CORRUPTION CASES

LESS THAN two weeks after B S Yeddyurappa was made the state BJP chief, Karnataka’s Congress government Wednesday announced its decision to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the dismissal of as many as 15 cases of corruption against the former chief minister.

The Karnataka government will file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against a Karnataka High Court order quashing proceedings in 15 FIRS registered by the Lokayukta police against Yeddyurappa in connection with the denotification of land in Bengaluru in favour of private parties.

Law Minister T B Jayachandra, who on April 13 had stated that the Congress government was keeping its options open on the matter, confirmed that an appeal willbefiled.headdedthatadecision on the matter was actually taken on February 24. “It’s not a vindictive act by the state government. The Lokayukta police-wing submitted a proposal for the appeals to the home ministryanditwassanctionedon February 24. Joseph Aristottle has been appointed as a government advocate for this case before the Supreme Court,” he added.

The Karnataka high court had quashed proceedings in 15 cases against Yeddyurappa on January 5, 2016. The FIRS against the former CM had been registered in June 2015 on a complaint by RTI activist Jayakumar Hiremath. The complaint, which was filed based on a CAG report, alleged that Yeddyurappa denotified land — acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority in Bilekahalli, Halagevaderahalli, JB Kaval and other places in Bengaluru — in favour of private parties during his tenure as CM between 2008-11. Yeddyurappa appealed claiming the Lokayukta police did not have the power to register an FIR and investigate on the basis of a CAG report, since it was property of the state legislature. After considering his plea, the HC quashed the cases against the BJP leader.

However, Yeddyurappa is currently undergoing trial in connection with a CBI case for allegedly receiving Rs 20 crore as bribe through a family trust to grant mining favours to a private firm in Bellary.

Interestingly, soon after taking over as the state BJP president, Yeddyurappa had stated that any move to reinstate cases against him would be political vendetta.

B S Yeddyurappa