Bengaluru:
Former chief minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy will not appear before the Lokayukta special court today, as he is pleading exemption from personal appearance. The exemption has been granted till September 5.
Kumaraswamy's counsel Azmath Pasha, appealed to the court to grant exemption from the former chief minister's physical presence in court, as he was moving the Karnataka High Court for anticipatory bail.
Kumaraswamy's plea comes after the High Court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail. Judge N.K. Sudindhra Rao, who also functions as a special Lokayukta (ombudsman) court for speedy trial of graft cases, said the summons he served on Kumaraswamy and his wife, Anita, on Aug 8 stood, and they had to appear before him later in the day.
There are two separate cases of alleged corruption against the Janata Dal (Secular) party chief. In the first case, Kumaraswamy is alleged to have illegally diverted a bulk portion of land in the Vishwabharti Housing society in Bangalore, in the name of his wife Anita Kumaraswamy. In the second case, Kumaraswamy as chief minister is alleged to have favoured the Jantakal Mining firm when granting a mining license.
Kumaraswamy was chief minister of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government in the state from February 2006-October 2007. His wife Anita represents the Madhugiri assembly constituency in Tumkur district.