Yeddyurappa gets bail in one case, orders reserved in another

B D Narayankar

Press Trust of India

Bangalore, Nov 3: Karnataka High Court today
granted bail to former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in a
graft case, but reserved order in another to tomorrow.
Justice B V Pinto allowed the bail plea by Yeddyurappa in
one of the two complaints in which he has been arrested and
reserved orders on the other after arguments by both parties.
Even as Yeddyurappa got relief in the third complaint in
which he has been accused of denotifying government lands for
personal gains, the verdict tomorrow on the fourth on similar
allegtions will decide whether he will walk free from judicial
custody to which he has been remanded since Oct 15.
Justice Pinto observed that criminal jurisprudence
principles would not go to the extent of denying a person the
right to personal liberty on the basis of allegations levelled
against him, while ordering conditional bail to Yeddyurappa,
who has been directed to furnish a surety for Rs five lakh and
not to destroy evidence.
The judge observed it was too early to decide if
Yeddyurappa was guilty or not, as the credence of documents
submitted to the court was yet to be proved.
The order on bail plea of former minister S N Krishnaiah
Shetty, arrested along with Yeddyurappa, has also been
reserved for tomorrow by the court.
Meanwhile, Justice H Billappa adjourned further hearing to
November 8 on anticipatory bail applications moved by
Yeddyurappa and his family members, apprehending arrest in
three other private complaints filed by Advocate Sirajin
Basha, proceedings of which are on before the Lokayukta Court.
Besides Yeddyurappa, his two sons, B Y Raghavendra, a Lok
Sabha member and B Y Vijendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar
who are among the other accused,have sought anticipatory bail.
Lokayukta Court judge N K Sudhindra Rao extended judicial
custody of Yeddyurappa and Setty till November 15.