SC refuses to interfere with Yeddyurappa's anticipatory bail

New Delhi - The Supreme Court Monday declined to interfere with a Karnataka High Court order granting anticipatory bail to former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa in a case related to alleged favours in the granting of a mining lease.

An apex court bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Mohan Parasaran that there was nothing in the high court order that came in the way of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducting its investigations into the matter and filing a chargesheet.

"We have no manner of doubt that once you go to the high court saying that he is not cooperating it would issue necessary directions," said Justice Thakur.

Besides Yeddyurappa, the high court by its said order granted anticipatory bail to Yeddyurappa's sons B.Y. Vijayendra and B.Y. Raghavendra and another suspect R.N. Sohan Kumar.

Parasaran told the court that Yeddyurappa was not cooperating in the probe ever since the high court granted him an anticipatory bail June 21.

The apex court said that the high court order granting him an anticipatory bail was subject to the condition that he would cooperate in the investigations.

Prasaran told the court that the high court while granting anticipatory bail said that accused were unlikely to flee from justice and a prima facie case had not been made out against them.

He said that the high court asked the investigating agency to connect the sale of land and the receipt of donations by the trust run by Yeddyurappa's kin with some kind of favour.

The ASG told the court that the investigating agency was aggrieved by the order as the findings of the high court gravely prejudiced the course of investigation.

Justice Thakur told Prasaran that let the investigating agency collect the evidence linking purchase of land by the private operator and the donation of Rs.20 crore to the trust run by Yeddyurappa's kin and file the chargesheet.

The CBI contended that the findings of the high court amounted to reversing the findings of the apex court of May 11 and also the findings of its central empowered committee on environmental matters.

The apex court had ordered probe against Yeddyurappa on the charges of graft on the recommendations of the empowered committee.

The CBI will probe charges that Prerna Education Society Trust run by Yeddyurappa's sons, one of whom is a Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member from Karnataka, received Rs.20 crore donation from a South West Mining Corp of Jindal group.

Another charge is that Bhagat Homes Private Ltd. and Dhavalgiri Property Developers Ltd., both run by Yeddyurappa's kin, had received Rs.2.5 crore and Rs.3.5 crore, respectively, from businessman Praveen Chandra in return for granting of mining lease.