Bengaluru: Former chief minister and state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa and all others in the Rs 40 crore mining kickback case were acquitted by a CBI special court on Wednesday, October 26.
The CBI court in Bengaluru also acquitted Yeddyurappa’s two sons, son-in-law and JSW officials. The former chief minister was sent to Bangalore central jail October 2011 in connection with the case. He was released on bail within three weeks.
Yeddyurappa, two of his sons, BJP MLA B Y Raghavendra, B Y Vijayendra, his son-in-law Sohan Kumar, JSW Steel and its Bellary-based four affiliates were charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the CBI’s chargesheet. According to CBI charge sheet, Rs. 40 crore was paid to a trust run by the Yeddyurappa family in 2010 allegedly for the grant of official favours, including mining licenses, when he was chief ministership from 2008 to 2011.
Yeddyurappa unsuccessfully moved both the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court seeking quashing of charges against him.
The CBI special court had examined 216 witnesses in the case. The CBI said the money had allegedly come from South West Mining Company, an affiliate of the JSW Steel. It also said an additional amount of Rs.20 crore was paid to Prerana Trust run by Yeddyurappa family and that it later transferred Rs.6 crore to Swamy Vivekananda Samsthe, in which Yeddyurappa was a trustee.
Besides, Yeddyurappa family was also accused of selling one acre BDA notified land in Bengaluru to a JSW Steel affiliate for Rs.20 crore to cover up the bribe amount. According to investigating agencies the market value of the land at that time was Rs.5.5 crore, and CBI had claimed the money trail was traced.
Yeddyurappa, reacting on the verdict said, “I am vindicated, happy with the verdict of the special CBI court. I had full faith in the judiciary. The allegations against me were politically motivated. Politically, this is a very important verdict for me. Thousands of supporters can now heave a sigh of relief”.
