A special CBI court on Wednesday acquitted the BJP leader and former K'taka CM in a Rs 40 crore mining case
In a huge relief to senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, a special CBI court in Bengaluru has acquitted him along with his two sons and son-in-law in a Rs 40 crore illegal mining case.
Yeddyurappa, his two sons, his son-in-law, steel major JSW Steel and four Bellary-based JSW Steel affiliates were cleared of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption charges.
"Justice is done, I stand vindicated... Thanks to all well wishers, friends & supporters who stood with me in my tough times," Yeddyurappa wrote on Twitter.
"The judgement is about 400 to 500 pages. So far, we have not been given the copy of the judgement. The judge said that the prosecution has become unsuccessful in proving the guilt of the accused," advocate CV Nagesh told the media outside the court premises.
Yeddyurappa, who led the BJP to its first ever government in the south in 2008 elections, had to relinquish the chief minister's post following his indictment by the Lokayukta report on illegal mining submitted on July, 2011 by the then anti-corruption ombudsman Santosh Hegde.
The report had cited receipt of a Rs 10 crore donation from South West Mining Company to the Prerana Trust owned and managed by Yeddyurpapa's family and another Rs 20 crore paid for purchase of 1.02 acres in Rachenahalli by the mining firm.
Hegde in his report had observed that these payments were made to Prerana Trust in anticipation of getting some favours by the mining company, a charge Yeddyurappa had rejected.
CBI had registered an FIR against Yeddyurappa and others, and raided their residential and other premises as part of the probe ordered by the Supreme Court on recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee set up by it to look into illegal mining.
He returned to BJP following the announcement of Modi as party's prime ministerial candidate ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
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