Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa won a reprieve today from the Supreme Court, which put on hold criminal proceedings in a corruption case against him.
The Karnataka High Court had earlier refused to cancel an FIR (First Information Report) registered against Mr Yediyurappa, 79, in a land allocation scam.
The senior BJP leader is accused of releasing acres of land acquired by the state government and illegally allotting the land to entrepreneurs in 2006-7, when he was Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. A case was registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In 2020, the High Court rejected his request that the FIR registered by the Karnataka Lokayukta police be cancelled. High Court judge John Michael Cunha reprimanded the police for delaying the investigation and said, "The circumstances clearly indicate the delay is intentional and deliberate."
The FIR was registered in 2013 after a police complaint against Mr Yediyurappa.
The complaint said the Karnataka government had acquired more than 400 acres of land in Bellandur, Devarabeesanahalli and other areas to develop an Information Technology park but Mr Yediyurappa released parts of that land to private owners.
The Karnataka anti-corruption watchdog, the Lokayukta, said in its report that there was "no payment of bribe" to Mr Yediyurappa and there was no material or evidence to file a chargesheet against him.
The report was rejected by a special court.
Mr Yediyurappa then approached the High Court asking that the FIR against him be cancelled, as it had been in the case involving another accused, Congress's RV Deshpande. But his request was rejected.
The BJP leader has argued in court that there was no corruption involved, that he had not abused his position for money and that his actions were within his administrative powers.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
