SC grants last opportunity for responding to Yeddy's plea

The Supreme Court today granted last opportunity to a lawyer for filing his response to the plea of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa seeking quashing of proceedings against him before the state's Lokayukta in connection with irregularities in mining.
A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur imposed a cost of Rs 15,000 on Srijan Basha, a lawyer, who had earlier approached the state Lokayukta for registration of the case against Yeddyurappa, for not filing his response to the BJP leader's plea for quashing of the proceedings. It granted six weeks to Basha for filing a counter affidavit.

The court, which had issued notice on Yeddyurappa's plea on February 10 last year, however, had refused to stay the trial proceedings against him.
"Issue notice, returnable within six weeks. Interim stay is refused. We make it clear that the pendency of these special leave petitions shall not prevent the Trial Court from proceeding further in the matter. All such proceedings shall, however, remain subject to the outcome of these petitions," the bench had said.
Yeddyurappa had challenged the summons issued by the Lokayukta and sought quashing of the proceedings.
His appeal was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court and the present appeals are directed against the order.