The High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing in a petition filed by former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, after the counsel for the petitioner sought time to go through the U V Singh report submitted by the Lokayukta to the court.
Following a direction from the court, the Lokayukta submitted the report. When the matter came up for hearing, counsel for the petitioner Ravi B Naik sought time to file the reply and the matter was adjourned.
It was on the basis of the Singh report that Yeddyurappa was indicted in the Lokayukta report for favouring two mining companies.
He had moved the High Court challenging the Lokayukta report indicting him in the illegal mining case.
In his submission, Yeddyurappa said the findings recorded by the Lokayukta were without jurisdiction as they went beyond the terms of reference.
Yeddyurappa had submitted that the findings by the ombudsman were based on presumption and not on any evidence, for him to be booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Nanaiah special prosecutor
Senior counsel M T Nanaiah has been appointed special prosecutor for the Lokayukta in the two cases in which Katta Subramanya Naidu and his son Katta Jagadish are seeking bail. Srinivas, MD of Itasca company, had also moved the High Court seeking bail.
With the matter coming up for hearing before Justice V Jagannathan, after Justice K N Keshavanarayana recused from hearing the case, Lokayukta counsel Gayatri submitted a memo stating that Nanaiah would appear for the Lokayukta.
Senior counsel Ravi B Naik, who appeared on behalf of the respondents said they had no objections to Nanaiah appearing on behalf of the Lokayukta.
“Though law does not permit him to represent Lokayukta, we have no objections,” he said.
Later, during the hearing, senior counsel C V Nagesh, reminding the judge about the developments including Justice Keshavanarayana’s recusal, said since the matter was first heard by the same bench, the matter should not be delayed.
Narrating the events since the day of the arrest of Katta Jagadish, he submitted that a 16,000-page chargesheet had been filed against the petitioners within an hour of his arrest and expressed doubts over the chargesheet being filed within a short span of time.
He submitted that Katta Subramanya Naidu was forced to cut short his foreign tour and was taken into custody. Stating that the petitioners were innocent, he sought bail for them.
Justice Jagannathan adjourned the matter to Thursday.
Protection ordered
The High Court has sent a five month pregnant woman to her parents’ home for extra care and directed the police to give protection to her husband from his in-laws.
Anitha (21) a native of Masti in Kolar district had married Murali Kumar (23) from Venkatsandra, a construction worker, on March, 6 2011 against the wishes of their parents. Byrappa, the father of the girl had filed a habeas corpus petition.
The couple were presented before the Court on August 10. The court asked the girl whether she wanted to go with her parents or husband. She replied that she wanted both her parents and her husband. Later, the court sent her to remand home for counseling for a week.
