CBI opposes Yeddyurappa's pre-arrest bail plea in HC

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told the Karnataka high court that there was a prima facie case against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and his kin in the illegal mining case, which required their custodial interrogation.

Opposing the anticipatory bail application moved by Yeddyurappa and others, CBI counsel Ashok Bhan submitted a prima facie case had been made out with instances such as agreement between state-owned Mysore Minerals Limited and Jindal group of company in 2006 and 2010 which allegedly caused a loss of over Rs 700 crore to the state exchequer.

Yeddyurappa was the deputy chief minister in JDS-BJP coalition government in 2006 and the chief minister in 2010.

The CBI also submitted that a prima facie case has been made out on charges that the trust run by Yeddyurappa's family received Rs 10 crore from the South West Mining Limited and denotification of Rachenahalli land and its subsequent purchase by South West Mining Company from Yeddyurappa's kin.

Justice Subhash B Adi, after hearing the inconclusive arguments, adjourned the petition to tomorrow.

Besides Yeddyurappa, his sons B Y Raghavendra, MP and B Y Vijendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar have also sought advance bail after the CBI court rejected their petitions on June 13.

The CBI on June 16 had questioned Yeddyurappa's two sons and son-in-law in connection with its probe into illegal mining after registering an FIR against them and raiding their premises.

The central agency is probing the allegations on the directive from the Supreme Court based on the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee set up by it to look into illegal mining.