Yeddyurappa fails to avert charges as HC rejects twin pleas

Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa suffered a double blow in the Karnataka high court yesterday, as two separate benches of the court not only rejected his plea for anticipatory bail in connection with a land-grab case, but also dismissed his plea seeking the quashing of Chapter 22 of the state Lokayukta report on illegal mining, under which he was indicted.

After the high court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail, Yeddyurappa responded to the summons of the Lokayukta special court and appeared before it. He was followed by his son B Y Raghavendra and others.

Judge N K Sudhindra Rao of the special court directed the Lokayukta police to file a chargesheet against them, and adjourned the hearing to 7 September.

Yeddyurappa was in a private hospital on complaints of high fever, diabetes and hypertension. The Lokayukta court had exempted him from personal appearance on health grounds on Saturday, but directed him to appear before it today.

The Lokayukta court on 8 August had issued a summons to the former chief minister and 14 others on a private complaint filed by advocate Sirajin Basha alleging irregularities in de-notification of land acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), causing a big loss to the state exchequer.

Justice L Narayana Swami of the high court dismissed Yeddyurappa's bail plea on the ground that it was premature, as the investigations into the case had hardly begun.