Yediyurappa granted bail by special court in corruption case
Bengaluru, Jun 19: A special court dealing exclusively with criminal cases related to legislators has granted bail to former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa in a corruption case.
Judge B Jayantha Kumar granted the bail on Saturday after the advocate for the complainant in the objections that were filed had stated that they did not oppose the granting of bail to the senior BJP leader.
The complainant's advocate K V Dhananjay, however, contended in the submission that they object only to some of the grounds assigned by the accused that was claimed to be irrelevant and improper.
The objections said the bail application of Yediyurappa refers to the case against Congress leader R V Deshpande and other accused against whom the original complaint was filed. But now the case is only against the BJP leader and reference to the others was improper.
"In his bail application, the accused B S Yediyurapppa, has further denied the commission of offence for which he has been summoned and has also offered justification for his actions that are subject of this criminal proceedings. The accused has further insinuated improper motive to this complainant," the objections stated.
"In a proceeding of this nature, it would be unnecessary, improper and unproductive for this complainant to deal with such contentions except to deny it," the objections further stated.
However, the bail was granted to Yediyurappa and the hearing adjourned to July 16.
The special court had summoned the 79-year-old leader in a private complaint filed by one Vasudeva Reddy in 2013.
The Lokayaukta police had filed a B Report in the case citing lack of evidence, but the special court had rejected it.
The complaint alleges that Yediyurappa as the then deputy chief minister in 2006 illegally denotified 15 acres and 30 guntas land in Bengaluru's Bellandur and Devarabeesanahalli that was acquired for an IT park.
R V Deshpande, the former industries minister, was the main accused in the original complaint but the Karnataka High Court had quashed the case against him in 2015. Yediyurappa is the only remaining accused and has been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
