Bangalore:
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa will appear in the Lokayukta's court in Bangalore today at 11 AM. Mr Yeddyurappa was arrested on October 15 for alleged irregularities in denotification of government lands. His judicial custody ends today.
On Friday, the Karnataka High Court adjourned the hearing on Mr Yeddyurappa's bail plea till October 24. Senior counsel C H Hanumantharaya representing the complainants opposed the interim bail plea on the ground that it cannot be entertained "on merits of the case" and the accused can only apply for regular bail.
Mr Yeddyurappa's counsel K Uday Lalith told the court that the former Chief Minister had not benefited from the denotification of land as alleged by the complainant Sirajin Basha. Arguing that the case did not attract Prevention of Corruption Act under which allegations have been levelled against Mr Yeddyurappa, he said, "There is no prima facie case made out so far."
"Mr Yeddyurappa only exercised the powers vested in the Chief Minister to denotify lands and it was the various departments that issued the orders," he said. Arguing for bail, Mr Lalith said since Mr Yeddyurappa has already demitted office, there was no question of his misusing office.
Mr Yeddyurappa was remanded to judicial custody by a Lokayukta court in connection with two private complaints filed against him for alleged land scams on October 15. The former Chief Minister, who spent three days in the Jayadeva Cardiology hospital, was shifted to the state run Victoria Hospital on October 18. He got discharged from the hospital on Thursdayand returned to the Parappana Agrahara prison.
Mr Yeddyurappa's sons, B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member and B Y Vijendra, are among the other accused in the land denotification case. The Lokayukta court had granted them conditional bail on October 15.
(
With PTI inputs)