Yeddyurappa files bail plea after CBI raids

Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday filed an anticipatory bail plea in the CBI court. Yeddyurappa moved court after the CBI conducted raids at his Bangalore residence in an illegal mining case in line with the Supreme Court's directive. Reports said that Yeddyurappa's legal team has also filed the anticipatory bail for three other family members of the BJP leader.

A day after registering an FIR, CBI officials conducted the raids at eight premises belonging to Yeddyurappa, his sons BY Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member, and BY Vijayendra as well as son-in-law Sohan Kumar in Bangalore and Shimoga district.

The CBI also raided the offices of JSW Steel and South West Mining Company Limited in Bellary, besides searching the house of a mining leaseholder, police sources said.

The crackdown by the central agency came after it registered a case for offences under IPC including criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust besides under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Yeddyurappa has been accused of granting undue favours to the two firms in lieu of donations made by them to a charitable trust run by his family.

The raids, which began at 6.15 am, were conducted by a joint team of CBI officials from Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The searches were held at Yeddyurappa's residences in Dollars Colony and Race Course Road in Bangalore and a firm owned by one of his sons.

The Supreme Court order for the CBI probe came after an empowered committee set up by it submitted its report and pointing out several allegations against Yeddyurappa and corporate entities and recommending a CBI probe.

Meanwhile, JSW Steel in a press statement maintained "It has neither done any illegal activity nor was it connected with any wrong doing."

The company said it has full faith in the judicial process and its books are open and added it will fully cooperate with the investigating agencies.

"JSW group follows highest standards of corporate governance. JSW Steel is in fact the victim of alleged illegal mining," it said.

The apex court order had dashed Yeddyurappa's hopes of making a comeback as the chief minister, a post he relinquished in last July after the then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde indicted him in his report on illegal mining.

With the party central leaders asking him to come clean in all corruption cases against him for his reinstatement, Yeddyurappa has been flexing his muscle to demonstrate his hold over the party in Karnataka.

After creating a crisis that threatened the DV Sadananda Gowda Government, Yeddyurappa on Monday said he had decided to quit the party but was not going ahead with it for now.

Apart from nine ministers loyal to him submitting their resignations to him, Yeddyurappa had praised Congress President Sonia Gandhi for 'protecting' her leaders facing crisis unlike his party, causing more embarrassment to BJP.

Yeddyurappa's cup of woes is already full with several corruption cases filed in the Lokayukta court for alleged irregularities in land denotifications.