Bangalore: Scam-hit Karnataka former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on Friday failed in his bid for anticipatory bail and for cancelling a police probe into corruption charges against him, a day ahead of his court appearance in illegal land deals cases.
Justice L Narayana Swamy reserved orders on Yeddyurappa's anticipatory bail plea to on Monday.
This leaves the former chief minister to spend a tense day apprehending possible arrest on Saturday when he appears before Additional City Civil and Sessions Court Judge NK Sudhindra Rao, who functions as special Lokayukta (ombudsman) court for speedy trial of corruption cases.
The severe jolt to Yeddyurappa came shortly after another bench of the high court rejected his plea to quash police probe into bribe-taking charges in awarding a contract for an irrigation project.
On Thursday too the Bharatiya Janata Party leader suffered a major setback as the high court rejected his plea to stay Governor HR Bhardwaj's January 21 sanction to two Bangalore advocates to prosecute him for illegal land deals.
The two advocates, Sirajin Bhasha and NK Balaraj, filed five complaints of illegal land deals against Yeddyurappa on January 23.
The former chief minister also fears arrest from the Lokayukta police in another case of bribe-taking to award contract in the Upper Bhadra Lift Irrigation Project to a firm even though the cost it had quoted was the highest.
Regarding the anticipatory bail, Justice Narayana Swamy said after hearing the arguments that he will pronounce the verdict on Monday.
Another bench comprising Justice KL Manjunath and Justice HS Kempanna rejected Yeddyurappa's plea to cancel the Lokayukta police probe into charges that he had taken Rs 13 crore bribe to award the irrigation project contract.
The complaint was filed by Janata Dal-Secular legislator YSV Datta alleging that the project was awarded to the highest bidder RNS Jyothi, a company of noted Karnataka industrialist RN Shetty.
Datta said that RNS Jyothi's bid at Rs 1,033 crore was the highest but still it was given the contract going against the norm of accepting the lowest bidder.
In return for the favour, RNS Jyothi paid Rs 13 crore to Dhavalagiri Developers and Sahyadri Healthcare, owned by Yeddyurappa's two sons, BY Raghavendra and B.Y. Vijayendra and son-in-law R Sohan Kumar, Datta said.
Raghavendra is BJP Lok Sabha member from Shimoga, abut 280 km from Bangalore.
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