FIR against Karnataka home minister, Yeddy

Bangalore: Lokayukta police today filed an FIR against Karnataka Home Minister R Ashok and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on the charge of being involved in illegal denotification of government land.

FIR has also been filed against two landowners, according to City Lokayukta SP Shiva Shankar. The action comes in the wake of Lokayukta court directing Lokayukta police to register a case under Sec 156(3) of CrPC against Ashok, allegedly involved in seeking denotification of government land in violation of rules and purchasing it later.

Lokayukta special court judge N K Sudhindra Rao had also directed Lokayukta SP to investigate the matter and submit a report on the alleged illegal denotification of government land on November 5. RTI activist Jayakumar Hiremath had filed a complaint accusing Ashok of being involved in illegal denotification of government land causing an estimated Rs 50 crore loss to the state exchequer.

Hiremath alleged that the minister had secured denotification of 9.12 guntas and 14 guntas (agunta is 1/40 of an acre) of land belonging to Bangalore Development Authority in Lottegollahalli when Yeddyurappa was chief minister. Yeddyurappa, who is already in judicial custody in connection with a private complaint on alleged denotification of land, is the second accused in the complaint.