Karnataka: Court orders FIR, probe against Yediyurappa and others

Bengaluru: The Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge court on Wednesday ordered an FIR to be registered and an investigation was taken up on a private complaint alleging corruption by former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa and his family members.

The order comes exactly a week after the High Court of Karnataka on September 7 directed the Special Court to hear the complaint of corruption afresh.

The lower court had on July 8 dismissed the complaint, as the Governor had refused to give sanction to the complainant, T J Abraham.

The HC, however, ruled that the complainant was not the competent authority to seek sanction from the Governor.

The complaint is against Yediyurappa, the then chief minister, and his family members, alleging that they obtained bribes in return for granting BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) contracts.

Reacting to the order, Yediyurappa said he has full confidence in the judiciary.

“There is no truth in any of these allegations. I will come out of all these (cases). These things are natural, I’m not bothered about it,” he said.

Asked whether there was any conspiracy against him, he said, “definitely”.

Apart from Yediyurappa, his son B Y Vijayendra (BJP state Vice President), grandson Shashidhar Maradi, son-in-law Sanjay Sree, businessman Chandrakanth Ramalingam, MLA and then BDA chairperson S T Somashekar (now minister), IAS officer G C Prakash, K Ravi and Virupakshappa are the other accused in the private complaint.

Abraham had alleged that work orders were issued in favour of Ms Ramalingam Construction Company Pvt. Ltd owned by Chandrakant Ramalingam by the BDA as a favour for receiving bribes.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)