BSY denotification case: 'Irregularities committed in dropping land acquisition'

The Anti Corruption Bureau on Wednesday submitted to High Court of Karnataka that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa has admitted to denotification of land acquired for Shivarama Karanth Layout.

Senior counsel Ravivarma Kumar, appearing for ACB, said that Yeddyurappa in his petition has not even contested all the charges made against him with regard to denotification.

Yeddyurappa has approached the court seeking it to quash the complaint and the FIR filed against him.

Two FIRs were filed against Yeddyurappa over denotification of 257 acres of land of which 3.6 acres of land was set aside for the proposed Shivarama Karanth Layout.

The counsel said that a complaint cannot be quashed under writ and it is the statutory duty of the police to file an FIR and investigate into the complaint. The petitioner cannot seek quashing of the FIR, violating the statute of the investigating agency.

Ravivarma Kumar said that there were irregularities in the way the land, that was acquired to form Shivarama Karanth Layout, was dropped from acquisition. Internal probe headed by an Additional Chief Secretary also found lapses in dropping the land from acquisition.

Then chief minister (Yeddyurappa) had directed BDA to drop the land from forming the layout. The chief minister does not have the power to pass such directions. The decision caused a loss to the exchequer and to the people of Bengaluru, he added.

Hearing the petition, Justice Aravind Kumar has extended the interim order not to arrest Yeddyurappa. The Anti Corruption Bureau has given an undertaking that it would not arrest Yeddyurappa till the next date of hearing on Thursday.