Thaindian News

Bangalore, Nov 3 (IANS) Karnataka’s scam-hit former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will remain in central jail as the fourth graft case related to land scams was adjourned Thursday to Friday because arguments were incomplete in the state high court.

Directing the parties to complete the arguments in the case early, Justice B.V. Pinto posted the case to Friday.

The partial relief Yeddyurappa got earlier in the day when the high court granted him conditional bail in the third graft case was short-lived, as hopes of his early release from the jail were dashed in the absence of ruling in the fourth case.

Justice Pinto granted the bail on the condition that Yeddyurappa not tamper with evidence and furnish a bond of Rs.5 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s first chief minister in south India is facing five complaints of corruption and illegal land deals during his 38-month tenure.

The five complaints, comprising 15 instances of corruption and illegal land deals were filed by two city-based advocates Sirajin Basha and K.N. Balraj in January after state Governor H.R. Bhardwaj permitted the prosecution of Yeddyurappa, his kin, including two sons and a son-in-law, a former state minister, a ruling party (BJP) lawmaker and six others under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Though the 15 complaints were bunched into five cases, Yeddyurappa and former minister Krishnaiah Shetty have been arrested in two of them.

Yeddyurappa has been in jail since Oct 19, after spending three days in two hospitals in Bangalore following his arrest Oct 15 after Lokayukta (ombudsman) court judge N. K. Sudhindra Rao, hearing the cases, rejected his bail plea.

Yeddyurappa, his sons B.Y. Raghavendra and B.Y. Vijayendra and son-in-law R.N. Sohan Kumar have also moved applications seeking anticipatory bail in three other private complaints in which they have been named as accused.

Raghavendra is a BJP Lok Sabha member from the Shimoga constituency, about 280km from here.