CBI registers case against Yeddyurappa

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against the former chief minister of Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa and others under section 120-B rôw 409, 420 IPC, Section 7, 13(2) r/w 13(1) and (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 9 r/w 4 of Karnataka Land (Restriction on Transfer) Act, 1991.

The case has been registered following the directions of the Supreme Court.

During the investigation, searches were carried out at various places in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary, and it also seized various incriminating documents during the searches.

Earlier, this morning, the CBI raided residences of Yeddyurappa and his kin at his Dollars Colony and Race Course Road in Bangalore and in Shimoga for evidence on their alleged role in the multi-crore mining scam in the state. In all, the raids were conducted at eight places in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary.

 

The CBI also raided the offices of JSW Steel and South West Mining Company Limited in Bellary, besides conducting searches on the house of Vinod Nowal, director and CEO, JSW Steel Limited, police sources said.

A JSW Steel spokesman added that the company has not done any illegal activity nor connected with any wrong doing. It has full faith in the judicial process and its books are open and it will fully co-operate with the investigating agencies. "JSW group follows highest standards of corporate governance.

JSW Steel is in fact the victim of alleged illegal mining," the company said in a statement.

“Our teams searched for certain documents in the residences of Yeddyurappa and his relatives in Bangalore and Shimoga,” a senior CBI official said here.

The investigating agency conducted the search after registering a case against Yeddyurappa, his two sons — B S Vijayendra and B S Raghavendra, son-in-law Sohan Kumar and mining baron Praveen Chandra under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Raghavendra is a Lok Sabha member, representing the Shimoga parliamentary constituency.

“We have registered the case late Tuesday against all the five accused after receiving a copy of the order from the Supreme Court, directing our agency to investigate the corruption charges levelled against them in the illegal mining activities,” the unnamed CBI official said.

On May 11 the apex court ordered the CBI to investigate the charges that a subsidiary of the steel major JSW Steel through its subsidiary South West Mining Limited had donated Rs 10 crore to an educational trust, Prerana, set up by Yeddyurappa’s kin for granting it leases to mine iron ore during his tenure from May 30, 2008 and July 31, 2011.

The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in its April 20 report, recommended a CBI probe into the graft charges on the basis of voluminous documents and records submitted by the Dharwad-based Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, a non-government organisation (NGO).

Another charge is that Praveenchandra had given Rs 2.5 crore to Bhagat Homes Ltd and Rs 3.5 crore to Dhavalgiri Property Developers Ltd, run by Yeddyuppa’s kin in return for granting mining lease to him.

Meanwhile, fearing his imminent arrest, Yeddyurappa filed anticipatory bails for himself and on behalf of his two sons and son-in-law in a special court even as the CBI continued with its raids at his residence and premises of his family members and a few others in graft cases related to the multi-crore mining scam.

The CBI special court has adjourned the hearing on Yeddyurappa’s bail plea to Thursday after the CBI sought time to study his petition and file objections, as its officials were busy with raids on homes and offices of all the six accused named in the first information report (FIR), sources said.

Reacting to CBI raids, Yeddyurappa told reporters, “It's a painful day in my long political career. I am going to extend full cooperation to the CBI in its inquiry. I hope the truth will prevail after the probe. I am confident that I will come clean.”

“The CBI team is free to take any document and ask me any question. I have nothing to hide. I have given them (officials) all the documents they sought and replied to all questions they asked,” Yeddyurappa pointed out.