Bail plea: HC to decide on Monday

The High Court on Thursday posted for orders to Monday, the petition filled by Housing Minister V Somanna, his wife Shylaja and others seeking anticipatory bail, following a complaint related to illegal denotification of 22 guntas of land in Naga Devanahalli in 2009.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners, Ashok Harnahalli, submitted that the petitioners fear they might be arrested, which will dent their public image.

Harnahalli said the allegations of forgery and cheating had no basis. Since there is no chance of tampering the evidence as the documents were obtained by the complainants under Right to Information Act (RTI), he said the accused are entailed for anticipatory bail.

Justice Subhash B Adi, who heard the matter, reserved it for orders. The police have filed the FIR against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, Somanna, Shylaja, following directions of the Lokayukta court to initiate investigation under Section 156 (3) of CrPC, under IPC sections including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 463 (forgery) read with 120 B and under Prevention of Corruption Act.

The complainant, Ravi Krishna Reddy, a software engineer, has alleged that Yeddyurappa denotified 22 guntas of land in Naga Devanahalli to favour an education trust run by Shylaja.

Land acquired by BDA

It is alleged that the land in question was acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority in 1997. Seven years after the final notification, Lingaiah sold his share of the property in survey number 77 and 78 through a sale deed to Shylaja.

Thereafter, a rectification deed was executed in March 2005 in favour of Shylaja to claim that the land has already been denotified.

The complainant alleged it was a false deed as there are no records available in the official gazette.