Land scam case: Police asked to submit final report by Nov 21

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 5: A local court today directed
Lokayukta police to submit final report by November 21 in a
land scam allegedly involving Home Minister R Ashoka and
former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
Lokayukta Special court judge N K Sudhindra Rao said
he would pass orders in the case,if Lokayukta police failed to
submit final report by that date.
RTI activist Jayakumar Hiremath had filed a complaint
accusing Ashoka of being involved in illegal denotification of
government land causing an estimated Rs 50 crore loss to the
state exchequer.
In his complaint, Hiremath said the minister had allegedly
denotified 9.12 guntas and 14 guntas (a gunta is 1/40 of an
acre) of land belonging to Bangalore Development Authority in
Lottegollahalli when B S Yeddyurappa was Chief Minister.
Yeddyurappa, who is already in judicial custody in
connection with another corruption case, is the second accused
in the complaint.
On October 21, Lokayukta police had filed an FIR against
Ashoka and Yeddyurappa on charges of being involved in illegal
denotification of government land.
When the case came up, Lokayukta DySP Abdul Ahad sought two
months time for examining more than 25 witnesses and documents
related to the illegal denotification of government land.
Overruling Ahad's request, Justice Rao directed Lokayukta
police to submit the final report by November 21 after he was
given to understand that a forensic examination of documents
was not required in the particular case.