Denotification: SC to examine if notice has to be issued to BSY, DKS

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine whether notice has to be issued to former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and senior Congress leader and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar in a case pertaining to denotification of land in Bengaluru.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan fixed the matter for consideration on May 4 as advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for complainant-petitioner Kabbalegowda, pleaded for issuing of formal notice to both the leaders, among others. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, appearing for Shivakumar, and Sidharth Luthra, representing Yeddyurappa, opposed the plea saying their arguments have to be heard before passing any order in this regard.

The court then put the matter for consideration on May 4. The issue relates to denotification of 4.20 acres in 2010 in contravention of the Karnataka Restriction of Transfer of Land Act, 1991 and in violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code . In a special leave petition, Kabbalegowda, a social worker from Ramanagaram district, has challenged the Karnataka High Court’s order of December 18, 2015, quashing the proceedings initiated against the two leaders as well as Hamed Ali, who was then working as sub-registrar at Bengaluru South taluk, and others.