Karnataka political rivals, BJP’s BS Yediyurappa and DK Shivakumar of Congress, were seen on the same side in the Supreme Court on Friday — opposing an application seeking to revive an alleged corruption case relating to denotification of land in Bengaluru.
The matter, which came up for hearing before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah, saw their advocates questioning the maintainability of the application filed by an intervenor for reviving the criminal case in which the complainant has already withdrawn his plea. The issue relates to denotification of 4.20 acres of land allegedly in contravention of the Karnataka Restriction of Transfer of Land Act, 1991.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and AM Singhvi, who were appearing for Yeddyurappa and Shivakumar respectively, told the bench that the complainant in the case had withdrawn his appeal from the apex court last year and a third party, who has nothing to do in the case, cannot be allowed to intervene at this stage.
Shivakumar was present in the courtroom during the hearing.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for intervenor NGO ‘Samaj Parivartana Samudaya’, told the Bench that complainant had withdrawn his plea from the apex court on mentioning the matter before a Bench but intervention plea can be heard. He sought recall of the February 21 order by which the plea filed by the complainant was “dismissed as withdrawn” by the top court.