Bangalore:
The Karnataka High Court will today resume hearing the bail petition of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa who has been in jail in connection with a land scam. The prosecution is expected to put forth its arguments today, but no verdict is expected.
The arrested Bharatiya Janata Party leader's counsel has pleaded for releasing him on a week's bail, in view of Diwali.
Yeddyurappa was arrested on October 15 for alleged irregularities in denotification of government lands. The former chief minister has been jailed in two of the five cases of corruption and illegal land deals filed against him by two Bangalore advocates Sirajin Bhasha and KN Balaraj in January. After his arrest, he spent three days in the Jayadeva Cardiology hospital and was shifted to the state run Victoria Hospital on October 18. He got discharged from the hospital on Thursday and then returned to the Parappana Agrahara prison.
On Friday, the Karnataka High Court adjourned the hearing on Mr Yeddyurappa's bail plea till Monday. Yeddyurappa has moved two petitions in the High Court - one for interim bail and another for regular bail. Senior counsel C H Hanumantharaya representing the complainants opposed the interim bail plea for Yeddyurappa on the grounds that it cannot be entertained "on the merits of the case" and the accused can only apply for regular bail.
Mr Yeddyurappa's counsel K Uday Lalith told the court that the former chief minister had not benefited from the denotification of land as alleged by the complainant Sirajin Basha.
Mr Yeddyurappa's sons, B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member and B Y Vijendra, are among the other accused in the land denotification case. The Lokayukta court had granted them conditional bail on October 15.