Court rejects Yeddyurappa’s bail plea
Bangalore. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Wednesday rejected Karnataka Former Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa’s anticipatory bail plea in illegal mining case. Court says that his bail can go against the interest of witnesses in the case and hamper the ongoing investigation. The rejection of the anticipatory bail shocked the family members of BJP leader, who feel that the CBI would arrest them any moment. His advocates said that they would move the high court on the matter.
The plea was filed after the Supreme Court asked the CBI to probe Yeddyurappa’s alleged role in illegal mining and the kickbacks he received from some companies to facilitate illegal mining. CBI court judge DR Venkata Sudarshan also dismissed anticipatory bail petitions of Yeddyurappa’s sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra and son-in-law RN Sohan Kumar.
Soon after the CBI court pronounced its verdict, a petition was moved before the high court challenging the order. It will come up for hearing on Thursday. After hearing the order, a visibly disturbed Yeddyurappa held a closed-door meeting with his supporters to decide the next course of action.
On May, the CBI raided the residences of Yeddyurappa, his sons B.Y. Raghavendra (BJP MP from Shimoga) and B.Y. Vijayendra and son-in-law R.N. Sohan Kumar.
The CBI registered an FIR against all of them before searching the premises under IPC sections 120B and 409 (criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust) and under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Fearing arrest, Yeddyurappa and his kin had approached the special court designated to hear CBI cases the same day seeking an anticipatory bail. The argument had concluded last week and judge D.R. Venkat Sudarshan had reserved the orders for Wednesday.
On May 11, the Supreme Court had ordered the CBI to probe charges that a subsidiary of the steel major Jindal Group had donated Rs.10 crore to an educational trust set up by Yeddyurappa’s family in return for expediting the mining leases of the company for iron ore during his tenure as CM.
