Court adjourns V Somanna's bail plea to Monday

The high court on Friday adjourned hearing the bail plea of housing minister V Somanna and his wife Shylaja to Monday, December 5, and issued a notice to the Lok Ayukta.

The Lok Ayukta special court had on November 22 directed the Lok Ayukta police to conduct an investigation into a private complaint filed by Krishna Reddy, a software engineer. He has alleged that BS Yeddyurappa, during his tenure as the chief minister, misused his power to secure undue advantage for his aides, including Somanna and other supporters.

Further, the complaint alleged that Somanna floated a trust, VSS Educational Trust, at Vijayanagar in October 2010 to cover up the ill-gotten wealth. The minister is the first trustee and his wife Shylaja is the second trustee.

In view of the complaint, Somanna and his wife filed anticipatory bail in the high court. They contended that they had no role in the denotification order approved by Yeddyurappa. They said they would suffer irreparable ignominy and hardship for no fault of theirs if they are arrested on the basis of false allegation.

They said they have considerable status in the community. Further, the complainant has not produced any document in connection with the alleged offences. In this backdrop, they have sought anticipatory bail.