SC asks HC to expeditiously decide pleas against Yeddyurappa

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Supreme Court on Monday, Dec 14 asked the Karnataka High Court to "expeditiously" decide pleas relating to registration of three FIRs by Lokayukta against former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in land-denotification cases in Bengaluru.

"We request the Karnataka High Court to dispose of the petitions expeditiously," a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre said.

The bench, meanwhile, granted liberty to Karnataka government to come before it again if the petitions are not decided expeditiously.

The High Court is slated to hear the cases on December 16. The state government had approached the apex court against an interim order of the high court, passed on September 15, staying the investigation relating to land de-notification against the BJP leader.

In three separate special leave petitions before the apex court, the state had contended that the High Court ought not to have stayed the investigation into the complaints made before Lokayukta made on the basis of the Comptroller and Auditor General report, highlighting "misuse of authority with a corrupt motive thereby causing heavy loss to state exchequer".

The Supreme Court had on November 30 asked Karnataka government to approach the High Court seeking lifting of the stay on investigation into the cases.

The cases involved de-notification of land acquired by Bangalore Development Authority for formation of Banashankari V stage, BTM IV stage and for extending Mahalakshmi Layout.

The BJP leader came under the scanner after the Lokayukta registered three FIRs against him and some others in June 2015 on charges of corruption and various offences under Karnataka Land (Restriction on Transfer) Act.

PTI