Land denotification case: Yeddy appears before Lokayukta

Bangalore: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and Housing Minister V Somanna today appeared before a Lokayukta court in a case relating to alleged irregularities in denotification of land. Special Lokayukta Court Judge NK Sudhindra Rao posted the case to 30 June. The judge had in April directed Yeddyurappa, Somanna, his wife Shailaja and a person named Lingaraju to appear before him. [caption id=“attachment_350872” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] On 21 March, Lokayukta police probing the case had filed a ‘B’ report absolving Somanna of charges of “misusing his position” in the case, stating that he was neither an MLA nor a minister during the period when the said land was denotified and, therefore, there was no case to proceed against him. The others accused in the case, including Yeddyurappa, were also absolved of the charges. The’ B’ report was challenged by complainant Ravi Krishna Reddy on 29 March. On 17 January, the Karnataka High Court had granted anticipatory bail to all the accused in the case. The complainant had alleged that Somanna used his position as a minister to secure denotification of 22 guntas (one gunta is about 1,086 sq ft) of land in Nagadevanahalli village for an educational institution run by his wife, despite the land having been acquired by Bangalore Development Authority. After the Lokayukta court took cognisance of the complaint, all the four moved the High Court for anticipatory bail. The then Chief Minister Yeddyurappa had allegedly ordered for denotification of the land on the request of the erstwhile land owner Lingaraju, according to the complaint. PTI