Yeddyurappa's counsel questioned the motive of the Anti-Corruption Bureau which reports to the government
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa received a temporary relief from the Karnataka High Court today in connection with an alleged illegal land de-notification case.
After lengthy arguments, the counsel for Anti-Corruption Bureau assured the court that it would withdraw summons issued to Mr Yeddyurappa to appear in front of it tomorrow. The counsel also assured that no precipitative action will be taken against the former Chief Minister till the next hearing on Monday.
Mr Yeddyurappa's counsel questioned the motive and independence of the Anti-Corruption Bureau which reports to the government. "There has been no offence committed by BS Yeddyurappa, it was just a communication and there has been no action on it by the BDA (Bengaluru Development Authority), no de-notification happened," said Sandeep Patil, Mr Yeddyurappa's counsel.
Last week, the Lingayat strongman had moved the High Court, seeking quashing of the Anti-Corruption Bureau proceedings against him in connection with the alleged illegal land de-notification.
Two FIRs had been filed after a complaint by a member of the 'Jana Samanya Vedike'.
The complainant has accused that as Chief Minister, Mr Yeddyurappa de-notified 257 acres of land from a preliminary notification of 3,546 acres, meant for the formation of the Dr K Shivaram Karanth Layout, "bypassing" the BDA.
The BJP has cried political vendetta and called the FIR by the Anti-Corruption Bureau as "retaliation" to the recent Income Tax raids on Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar's properties.
The former chief minister in his defence has claimed that there was no question of any denotification of land by him since the entire land acquisition was quashed by the High Court in 2014.