Land scam: Lawyers want to be heard in Yeddyurappa’s plea

Advocates Sirajin Basha and KN Balraj on Friday filed a caveat before the Karnataka high court, in connection with a petition filed by Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa challenging governor HR Bhardwaj’s sanction to prosecute him in alleged land scams based on a complaint by the two lawyers.

The advocates have requested the court not to grant any interim relief to the petitioner without hearing all the parties concerned.

The chief minister’s petition is listed before justice AS Bopanna, who will be hearing it on Monday. On January 21, Bhardwaj granted sanction to prosecute Yeddyurappa and others on the petitions by Sirajin Basha and KN Balraj over alleged land scams.

Armed with the governors sanction, the two lawyers had filed complaints against Yeddyurappa and some of his family members, including son-in-law Sohan Kumar, in the Lokayukta court. However, on a petition filed by Kumar, the high court had on March 29 and April 1 stayed the proceedings in the Lok Ayukta court. The complainant advocates later moved the Supreme Court, which ordered that the petition should be disposed of in six weeks’ time.
Justice KN Keshavnarayana on June 20 reserved judgement on Kumar’s petition. On Friday, counsel for Basha and Balraj submitted that the judgment had been delayed. The judge assured them that he would pronounces the orders on July 21 or 22.