Lawyers pile on more trouble for Yeddyurappa

File three more complaints even as CM reiterates demand for governor’s recall

More trouble is on the cards for chief minister B S Yeddyurappa as three more private complaints related to 9 alleged criminal offences on various charges, including corruption and nepotism were filed against him and some of his family members in connection with the alleged corruption in denotification of land in a city court, here today. With this, a total of five private complaints have been filed against him.

The complaints registered in the 23rd Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge C B Hipparagi, who is also the special judge for Lokayukta cases, listed three offences each relating to alleged illegal land deals. Yeddyurappa has thus become the first ever chief minister in Karnataka’s history to face prosecution on corruption charges.

The complainant, Sirajin Basha, one of the two advocates who had secured sanction from Governor H R Bharadwaj for prosecuting the chief minister, has named Yeddyurappa as the common accused in all the complaints.

Counsel for the two advocates C H Hanumantharaya told reporters after lodging the complaints that the cases filed today would be heard on February 1, 2 and 3.

Apart from the chief minister, the names of his sons B Y Raghavendra, member of parliament from Shimoga, B Y Vijayendra, his son-in-law Sohan Kumar, former minister S N Krishnaiah Setty, Bharathi Shetty, member of legislative council, D Hemachandra Sagar, member of legislative assembly also figure in the complaint.

Some of the companies like Bhagath Homes, Dhavalagiri Property Developers, Adarsh Developers, Balaji Krupa Enterprises, Sahayadri Health Care and Diagnostics, have also been named in the complaints.

The complainant alleged that the Chief Minister had abused his power and position to “secure illegal pecuniary gains to his kith and kin” and had in the process “flouted all rules, regulations and settled procedures causing irreparable damage to the exchequer of the state”.

The illegal acts had resulted in monetary gain of over Rs 189 crore to the beneficiaries and a loss of over Rs 465 crore to the state exchequer, the complainant alleged. Due to the huge amount of documents to be processed, list of accused and witnesses, the court has posted the three complaints for report from the court’s office and possible hearing to the first week of February.

Meanwhile, in continuation of his attack on Governor H R Bhardwaj for his sanction to prosecute him, Yeddyurappa demanded that he should be recalled. The BJP was contemplating filing a defamation case against him for his outbursts against the government, he said.

Levelling a fresh charge against the governor, Yeddyurapa said, “We have information that all the petitions submitted to him against the government were drafted in Raj Bhavan. It is better for him (the Governor) and also for the state that Bhardwaj looks at a state which is convenient for him to live and go there,” Yeddyurappa told reporters.