A court in Bengaluru yesterday acquitted former Karnataka chief minister and state Bharatiya Janata Party president B S Yeddyurappa in a bribery case.
Pronouncing the verdict in a packed courtroom, judge R B Dharamaguder of the special Central Bureau of Investigation court, also exonerated Yeddyurappa’s two sons B Y Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra, his son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar and seven others in the Rs400mn graft case for lack of evidence.
“Justice is done. I stand vindicated,” a relieved Yeddyurappa tweeted after the verdict was pronounced.
“I am happy that false allegations and politically motivated charges have been dismissed,” Yeddyurappa said.
The CBI registered the case on May 15, 2012, under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, over alleged grant of leases to mining firms as a quid pro quo for donations made to Yeddyurappa’s family-run Prerana Education Trust at Shimoga during his tenure from 2008 to 2011.
The other accused included former BJP minister S N Krishnaiah Shetty, South West Mining Company, Jindal Steel Works (JSW)), Real Technical Solutions Ltd and Industrial Techno Manpower Supply and Services Ltd.
The Supreme Court on May 11, 2012, ordered the CBI to register the case on the recommendation of a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by it for investigation into the alleged kickbacks for granting mining leases to the JSW and its subsidiary South West Mining Ltd.
The cases pertain to the Rs100mn donation by South West Mining to Prerna Trust and the mining firm purchasing 1.12 acres of land that was freed from government control (denotified) from Raghavendra and Vijayendra in 2010 when Yeddyurappa was the chief minister.
The CEC also accused Yeddyurappa’s relatives of receiving Rs60mn as bribe from mining baron Praveen Chandra through real estate firms set up by them.
In August 2011, Yeddyurappa was forced to resign after Karnataka’s ombudsman or Lokayukta, Santosh Hegde, indicted him for colluding in the illegal iron-ore mining in the mineral-rich district of Bellary. Justice Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, had famously described a mafia of politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists running “The Republic of Bellary.”
Claiming that the verdict had come as a relief to millions of party workers, Yeddyurappa, who was the first chief minister of the ruling BJP in south India, said that justice had given him an opportunity to bring the main opposition party in the state back to power in the 2018 assembly elections. The Congress won the state from the BJP in 2013.
The Congress dubbed Yeddyurapppa’s acquittal as “shocking.”
“We are stunned, surprised and shocked that serious allegations for which mounting evidence was provided to the CBI have been completely overlooked. This is a clear case of political influence,” Congress leader Sanjay Jha said in New Delhi.
“The CBI under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s government has become a convenient bureau of investigation, the way in which NIA (National Investigation Agency) has become Namo investigation agency,” Jha said.
Attacking the BJP-led central government, the Congress leader said: “Currently, the institutions meant to investigate and furnish evidence are failing miserably in their task. It is evident that these are all under political influence.”
Jha said Yeddyurappa will face the real test in public court, which will manifest itself in elections.
On the other hand, the BJP hailed the court decision.
BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said: “We are happy that the court has acquitted him of all allegations.”
“He has said earlier that the case against him was politically motivated,” Sharma said.
The former chief minister was jailed for three weeks in 2011 connection with the case before being given bail.
Yeddyurappa was made the chief minister in 2008, but was replaced after the corruption case escalated by the BJP’s Sadananda Gowda. After a maze of venality charges entrapped the BJP’s top leaders, the party lost the state to the Congress.
Yeddyurappa is prominent leader of the powerful Lingayat community.