By IANS,
Bangalore : Scam-hit Karnataka former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Friday failed in his bid for anticipatory bail and for cancelling a police probe into corruption charges against him, a day ahead of his court appearance in illegal land deals cases.
Justice L. Narayana Swamy reserved orders on Yeddyurappa’s anticipatory bail plea to Monday.
This leaves the former chief minister to spend a tense day apprehending possible arrest Saturday when he appears before Additional City Civil and Sessions Court Judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao, who functions as special Lokayukta (ombudsman) court for speedy trial of corruption cases.
The severe jolt to Yeddyurappa came shortly after another bench of the high court rejected his plea to quash police probe into bribe-taking charges in awarding a contract for an irrigation project.
On Thursday too the Bharatiya Janata Party leader suffered a major setback as the high court rejected his plea to stay Governor H.R. Bhardwaj’s Jan 21 sanction to two Bangalore advocates to prosecute him for illegal land deals.
The two advocates, Sirajin Bhasha and N.K. Balaraj, filed five complaints of illegal land deals against Yeddyurappa on Jan 23.
The former chief minister also fears arrest from the Lokayukta police in another case of bribe-taking to award contract in the Upper Bhadra Lift Irrigation Project to a firm even though the cost it had quoted was the highest.
Regarding the anticipatory bail, Justice Narayana Swamy said after hearing the arguments that he will pronounce the verdict Monday.
Another bench comprising Justice K.L. Manjunath and Justice H.S. Kempanna rejected Yeddyurappa’s plea to cancel the Lokayukta police probe into charges that he had taken Rs.13 crore bribe to award the irrigation project contract.
The complaint was filed by Janata Dal-Secular legislator Y.S.V. Datta alleging that the project was awarded to the highest bidder RNS Jyothi, a company of noted Karnataka industrialist R.N. Shetty.
Datta said that RNS Jyothi’s bid at Rs.1,033 crore was the highest but still it was given the contract going against the norm of accepting the lowest bidder.
In return for the favour, RNS Jyothi paid Rs.13 crore to Dhavalagiri Developers and Sahyadri Healthcare, owned by Yeddyurappa’s two sons, B.Y. Raghavendra and B.Y. Vijayendra and son-in-law R. Sohan Kumar, Datta said.
Raghavendra is BJP Lok Sabha member from Shimoga, abut 280 km from Bangalore.