Graft allegation: Lokayukta police register FIR against Yediyurappa on activist’s complaint

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The Karnataka Lokayukta police have registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act-1988 and sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and extortion against former Karnataka CM and member of the BJP parliamentary board BS Yediyurappa and several members of his family in a case referred by the courts.

The complaint in the case has been filed by social activist TJ Abraham against Yediyurappa, members of his family, a state minister, a bureaucrat, and two businessmen over the alleged collection of scraps to the tune of Rs 12 crore to clear a contract for a construction firm to build a housing complex for the government during Yediyurappa’s 2019-21 tenure as CM.

The social activist approached the Lokayukta police this week after the Karnataka High Court ruled on September 8 that the social activist does not need to obtain a sanction from the Governor to file the complaint and a sessions court on September 14 ordered the filing of an FIR on the basis of the private complaint brought by the activist.

Last year, on July 8, 2021, a special court rejected the private complaint by the activist seeking an investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering by Yediyurappa and eight others on the grounds that a sanction for investigating the then CM was denied on June 23, 2021, by the then Governor Vajubhai Vala.

On September 8, this year, the Karnataka High Court, however, ruled that there was no need for the private complainant to obtain a sanction from the Governor for the police to register a complaint since the mandate for obtaining a sanction is applicable only to a police officer seeking to prosecute a public servant after investigations under Section 19 (1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (a clause which was inserted through an amendment in 2018).

The High Court ordered the restoration of the private complaint by the social activist and the activist approached a special court again with his private complaint. On September 14 the court ordered the registration of an FIR for investigation.

The FIR registered on Friday by the Bengaluru city unit of the Lokayukta Police is the third FIR registered by the agency since its powers for investigating corruption cases was restored earlier this month by the Karnataka government on the basis of a Karnataka HC order of August 11 to restore the police unit of the Karnataka Lokayukta to investigate corruption.

Last year, a special court, while rejecting the private complaint against Yediyurappa, had indicated that there is some substance in the complaint of the activist that merits an investigation and that the complaint was being rejected only on account of the denial of a sanction for investigation by the Governor.

Yediyurappa, his younger son Vijayendra, grandson Shashidhar Maradi, the husband of a granddaughter Sanjay Shree, a son-in-law Virupakshappa Yamakanamaradi, minister ST Somashekher, bureaucrat GC Prakash and two businessmen Chandrakant Ramalingam and K Ravi are accused in the corruption case.

The private complaint of corruption is based on bribery and money laundering allegations that appeared in the media against the former Karnataka CM and others in 2020 over clearances given for the implementation of a housing project by the Ramalingam Construction Company Limited and promises of awarding other contracts to the firm.

The allegations pertain to alleged bribes amounting to over Rs 12 crore for contracts, including Rs 5 crore received by companies linked to a grandson of the former CM from multiple shell companies.

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