Bangalore:
The Lokayukta court in Bangalore today ordered issue of non-bailable warrants against former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and former minister Krishnaiah Setty after they failed to appear in court despite summons to do so.
The cases being heard pertain to alleged denotification of land during the time Mr Yeddyurappa was chief minister.
The court has given the Lokayukta police time until March 24 to execute the warrants. Before that, Mr Yeddyurappa's legal team is expected to approach the court seeking a recall of the warrant. The court issued the warrants after Mr Yeddyurappa and the others failed to appear in the last three occasions for the trial that was scheduled to begin last month itself.
Mr Yeddyurappa, his two sons, son-in-law and a former minister have been accused of colluding to get prime land in Bangalore freed from government control for monetary gains during his tenure as chief minister from May 2008 to July 2011.
The Lokayukta (ombudsman) court, hearing the case, had issued summons to Mr Yeddyurappa, his two sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra, son-in-law RN Sohan Kumar, and former minister SN Krishnaiah Setty in February.
This is one of the five cases of corruption and illegal land deals filed against Mr Yeddyurappa and his kin by a Bangalore-based advocate Sirajin Basha.
In two of these cases, Mr Yeddyurappa was jailed for 21 days in October-November last year before he was granted bail. In the other three cases, he has procured anticipatory bail. His kin had secured anticipatory bail in all the five cases .