Kumaraswamy, wife secure anticipatory bail

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his MLA-wife Anita who apprehended arrest in two corruption cases filed against them in the Special Lokayukta Court here.

“Both petitions allowed,” Justice L Narayana Swamy said, pronouncing the order providing legal relief to the JD(S) leader against whom the Lokayukta Court had issued summons. The couple were granted exemption from personal appearance on August 30 and September 5 on health grounds by the Lokayukta court which yesterday posted the case to tomorrow for hearing pending the high court order.

The cases pertain to a private complaint filed by an advocate, Vinod Kumar, alleging that Kumarasw-amy had favoured a mining company during his tenure as Chief Minister in 2006-2007 by renewing the licence and also issuance of permits for lifting iron ore. The complaint also charged Kumarasamy with allowing bulk allotment of sites to a housing society and, as a quid pro quo, it had granted a site to his wife.

Counsel for Kumaraswamy, a Lok Sabha member and JD(S) state unit President, and his wife submitted yesterday that the trial court judge had issued summons without holding an enquiry. The bulk allotment was in accordance with a high court order and that there was nothing to show that he had accepted illegal gratification, he had argued.

Anita was a member of the Housing society before her husband became Chief Minister and had also surrendered the site as it was not as per ‘Vaastu’, the counsel contended.

Vinod Kumar had alleged that Kumaraswamy indulged in favouritism and exerted pressure on the then Commissioner of Mines and Geology to pass an order in favour of the mining company Janathakal Enterprises and that there was “illegal gratification” vis-a-vis the bulk allotment.