In a major relief to lingayat strongman and BJP vice-president BS Yeddyurappa, Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed in the lokayukta Court against denotification of 4.2 acres of prime land at Beneganahalli in the city East Taluk during 2010. The
dismiissal order also a major relief for the Congress leader and Karnataka Energy Minister DK Shivakumar.
Judge Anand Byrareddy, who had reserved order after hearing the arguments on the petition filed in the lokayukta Court by TJ Abraham and Kabbale Gowda, gave a verdict dismissing the petition.
Shivakumar had appealed to the High Court to quash the petition against him as it was filed to tarnish his image. After the stay by the High Court,
the petitioners approached
the apex court, which had referred back to the High Court for taking a final decision. The Judge dismissed the petition saying “the involvement of
the two persons accused, was not maintainable.’’
The land, under question after it was meant to form a residential lay out by the Government, was purchased by Shivakumar and the land was later de-notified by Yeddyurappa when he was the Chief Minister during 2010. Shivakumar later allegedly entered into a joint agreement with top real estate players Puravankara builders.
The lokayukta police had registered a case against Shivakumar and six others under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Karnataka Restriction of Transfer of
land Act, 1991 and the Indian Penal Code.
Politically it is a significant victory for former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa who is aiming to come back to state politics.
last month in a significant judgment Karnataka High Court had set aside the prosecution sanction given by H R Bharadwaj, the then governor, on January 21, 2011, in connection with alleged de-notification of land in and around Bengaluru.
A Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court, headed by Acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee, had set aside the prosecution order and referred it back to the Governor for reconsideration. In his appeal, Yeddyurappa had contended that norms were bypassed while approving the prosecution and the complaint was politically motivated.
The Governor had granted permission to two advocates Sirajin Basha and K N Balraj to file a private complaint against Yeddyurappa in 2011. The two advocates, in their petition to the Governor, had alleged that Yeddyurappa had misused his official position to grant favors to kith and kin, friends and political followers.