Bangalore:
As the High Court hears his plea for bail, the BJP's BS Yeddyurappa will have to settle for far less attention than he is used to getting in Bangalore today.
Right opposite the Central Jail where the former Karnataka Chief Minister is currently lodged, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is appearing amid heavy security before a trial court in a disproportionate assets case.
And the present Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda was all smiles as Bangalore was presented with its much-awaited Namma Metro this morning. The two events top Bangalore news today.
The Karnataka High Court will decide today whether Mr Yeddyurappa will be granted bail in a land scam case. Mr Yeddyurappa was arrested last week for allegedly misusing his office while he was Chief Minister to benefit his two sons.
The former CM had moved the High Court for bail after a Lokayukta court denied him bail, issued an arrest warrant and, after he surrendered, sent Mr Yeddyurappa to seven days in judicial custody on Saturday last.
Within hours of being imprisoned, the 68-year-old complained of chest pain and breathlessness and was moved to the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology. On Tuesday, doctors there said that his medical condition did not merit keeping him in hospital. Mr Yeddyurappa then checked into Victoria Hospital.
After three days spent in two hospitals, Mr Yeddyurappa returned to Bangalore's Central Jail yesterday, where he has an air-conditioned cell with an attached bathroom.
He left Victoria Hospital on a stretcher on Wednesday morning. His supporters, including Karnataka minister V Somanna, said Mr Yeddyurappa wanted to return to jail as he was "frustrated" with media reports that accused him of feigning illness as a way to avoid prison.
Senior ministers of the Karnataka Cabinet and Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda have visited him in hospital - an indication of the clout he still has in his home state.
Mr Yeddyurappa defied party orders to resign as Chief Minister in July after a report on illegal mining indicted him along with other ministers. Mr Yeddyurappa finally agreed to quit if the BJP allowed him to hand-pick several members of the new cabinet, and the man who would replace him as Chief Minister.