Denotification cases return to haunt B S Yeddyurappa

BENGALURU: The illegal land denotification cases that had landed former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in jail before they were quashed by the Karnataka High Court seem to be returning to haunt the state BJP president.
Five complaints presented again by the original complainants came up before a special Lokayukta court on Wednesday and the hearing has been adjourned to March 15.The development comes even as the state government is getting ready to move the Supreme Court against the high court order, seeking revival of the cases.
Officials said the state government has decided to file a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court against the Karnataka High Court’s November 24, 2015 decision quashing the governor’s sanction to prosecute Yeddyurappa in the land denotification cases.
The high court, however, had given the original complainants, advocates Sirajin Basha and KN Balaraj, the liberty to approach the governor again in the matter. After the Raj Bhavan told the two lawyers that sanction was not needed to prosecute Yeddyurappa as he was not in office now, they represented their complaints to the Lokayukta court.
Yeddyurappa had been accused of misusing his office of chief minister and illegally denotifying land parcels in and around Bengaluru for pecuniary benefits. Sent to jail by a special Lokayukta court in 2011, he spent 24 days in the prison before getting bail from the high court.
The department of urban development has been asked to file the SLP and a government order to this effect is expected in a day or two. “We are ready to file the SLP and the draft of the petition is ready. A government order is awaited before moving the Supreme Court,” advocate-general Madhusudhan R Naik told TOI.
The revival of the cases comes at a time when Yeddyurappa is locked in a war of words with chief minister Siddaramaiah over alleged corruption involving the Congress government in the state.
Balaraj told TOI that they have also moved the Supreme Court against the high court order and the same has been posted for hearing on July 25.
The government had decided to get the urban development department file to the SLP. But the law department, earlier this month, gave an opinion that the SLP should be filed by the secretary to the governor. “The law department’s opinion wasn’t proper and the secretary to the governor cannot be a party. We have clarified this to the government; the secretary to the department of urban development will now file the SLP,” confirmed additional advocate general A S Ponnanna.