The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and others over alleged mining irregularities.
The cases, which followed a a directive from the Supreme Court, were registered under sections 120-B r/w 409, 420 IPC, 7, 13(2) r/w 13(1) (c) and (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 9 r/w 4 of the Karnataka Land (Restriction on Transfer) Act, 1991.
During the investigation, searches were carried out at various places in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary. During the raids, the CBI seized various incriminating documents.
Earlier this morning, the CBI raided the residences of Yeddyurappa and his kin at the Dollars Colony and Race Course roads in Bangalore. It also raided his residence in Shimoga. These were aimed at gathering evidence on his alleged role in the multi-crore mining scam in the state. Raids were conducted at eight places in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary.
The CBI also raided the offices of JSW Steel and South West Mining Company Limited in Bellary, along with the house of Vinod Nowal, director and chief executive, JSW Steel Limited, police sources said.
“Our teams searched for certain documents in the residences of Yeddyurappa and his relatives in Bangalore and Shimoga,” said a senior CBI official.
The agency conducted the search after registering a case against Yeddyurappa, his sons B Y Vijayendra and B Y Raghavendra, son-in-law Sohan Kumar and mining baron Praveen Chandra under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Raghavendra is a member of the Lok Sabha, representing the Shimoga parliamentary constituency.
“Late on Tuesday, we registered cases against the five accused, after receiving a copy of the order from the Supreme Court that directed our agency to investigate the corruption charges levelled against them for illegal mining activities,” said the CBI official.
On May 11, the apex court had ordered the CBI to investigate charges that JSW Steel, through its subsidiary South West Mining Limited, had donated Rs 10 crore to an educational trust, Prerana, set up by Yeddyurappa’s kin for granting it leases to mine iron ore during his term from May 30, 2008, to July 31, 2011.
The Supreme Court-appointed central empowered committee, in its April 20 report, had recommended a CBI probe into the graft charges on the basis of voluminous documents and records submitted by the Dharwad-based Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, a non-government organisation.
Another charge was Praveenchandra had given Rs 2.5 crore to Bhagat Homes and Rs 3.5 crore to Dhavalgiri Property Developers, which are run by Yeddyuppa’s kin, in return for granting mining leases to him.
Meanwhile, fearing his imminent arrest, Yeddyurappa filed anticipatory bails for himself, his sons and his son-in-law in a special court. The CBI special court adjourned the hearing on Yeddyurappa’s bail plea to Thursday, after the CBI sought time to study his petition and file objections, as its officials were busy with raids on the homes and offices of the six accused named in the first information report, sources said.
