Yeddyurappa, Somanna granted bail

Bangalore: Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Housing Minister V Somanna were today granted bail by a Lokayukta court in a case relating to alleged irregularities in denotification of land.

Yeddyurappa and Somanna appeared personally before special Lokayukta court judge N K Sudhindra Rao, who granted bail to them, Somanna`s wife Shailaja and one Lingaraju and posted the case to June 30 for further hearing.

On March 21, Lokayukta police probing the case had filed a `B` report absolving Somanna of charges of "misusing his position" in the case, stating he was neither an MLA nor a minister during the period when the said land was denotified and therefore there was no case to proceed against him. The others accused in the case, including Yeddyurappa, were also absolved of the charges. The` B` report was challenged by complainant Ravi Krishna Reddy on March 29.

On January 17, the Karnataka High Court had granted anticipatory bail to all the accused in the case. The complainant had alleged Somanna used his position as a minister to secure denotification of 22 guntas (one gunta is about 1,086 sq ft) of land in Nagadevanahalli village for an educational institution run by his wife, despite the land having been acquired by Bangalore Development Authority.

After the Lokayukta court took cognisance of the complaint, all four moved the high court for anticipatory bail. The then Chief Minister Yeddyurappa had allegedly ordered denotification of the land on the request of erstwhile land owner Lingaraju, according to the complaint.