Karnataka HC clears Yeddyurappa's prosecution in land deals

The Karnataka High Court Tuesday allowed the prosecution of BJP national vice president and former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and his kin in a case pertaining to the alleged encroachment of forest land in Shimoga district.

Setting aside the Shimoga sessions court order that dismissed the case in February for want of sanction from the state government, Justice Anand Byrareddy said the cases could be investigated, as Yeddyurappa was no longer holding a public office.

"The high court has permitted Yeddyurappa's prosecution on the revision petition I filed in March after the sessions court dismissed my original petition on procedural grounds," Shimoga-based lawyer and petitioner B. Vinod told IANS.

Yeddyurappa and his family members are alleged to have encroached upon 84 acres of forest land at Hunasekatte in Shimoga district through fraudulent means, including forging documents in 2008-09 when he was chief minister of the first BJP government in the state. Shimoga is around 270 km from Bangalore.

The encroachment is alleged to have been made in installments of 69 acres and 15 acres in the same forest area.

"We have submitted to the high court all documents, including the land sale deeds executed by Yeddyurappa and his kin, as acquiring state-owned land in the Malnad forests is illegal," complainant Vinod said.

Though the arguments were completed last month (September), the judgment was reserved for Tuesday.

Yeddyurappa, however, denied the allegations and claimed he was not involved in the land deals.