Bangalore:
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa will spend Diwali in jail. The High Court has deferred hearing on his petition for bail to Friday, October 28, two days after the festival.
Mr Yeddyurappa's chances of a "Happy Diwali" had dimmed considerably on Saturday, when the special Lokayukta court hearing charges of corruption against him in five land cases, had ordered that his judicial custody be extended till November 3. Mr Yeddyurappa is lodged at Bangalore's Central Jail.
The 68-year-old had moved High Court last week after the Lokayukta court had first remanded him to judicial custody on October 15. That was a dramatic weekend. Mr Yeddyurappa surrendered in the special court hours after it had rejected bail and ordered his arrest. The court had sent him to jail for a week, but after a few hours at Bangalore's Central prison, the former CM complained of breathlessness and chest pain and was moved to the Jayadeva Cardiology hospital.
When that hospital pronounced him fit for discharge three days later, Mr Yeddyurappa moved to another hospital on October 18. He spent only a night there, after which he moved back to jail - his close aides and a minister said he was upset at media reports suggesting that he was "faking illness" to stay out of jail.
On Friday last, the Karnataka High Court adjourned hearing on Mr Yeddyurappa's bail plea till Monday. Yeddyurappa had 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 could only apply for regular bail.
Mr Yeddyurappa's sons, B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member and B Y Vijendra, are among the other accused in the land case. The Lokayukta court had granted them conditional bail on October 15.
(
With PTI inputs)