Minutes after being acquitted by a special CBI court in the Prerana case, a relieved BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said that the charges against him were “politically motivated”.
Speaking to the media gathered outside the court hall on the premises of the City Civil Courts in Bengaluru, the state chief of the BJP said, “I have always trusted the judiciary and this was a political conspiracy.”
Soon after the acquittal, the former chief minister tweeted, “Justice is done, I stand vindicated... Thanks to all well wishers,friends & supporters who stood with me in my tough times,” and followed it up with “Satyameva Jayate”.
Justice is done, I stand vindicated... Thanks to all well wishers,friends & supporters who stood with me in my tough times...
— B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) October 26, 2016
Satyameva Jayate..
— B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) October 26, 2016
The Karnataka High Court had in the past, quashed the case filed against him by the Lokayukta on technical grounds.
According to the chargesheet filed by the CBI on October 16, 2012, Rs 20 crore was deposited in the personal bank accounts of his sons Raghavendra and Vijendra, and his son-in-law Sohan Kumar in August-September 2010. An additional Rs 20 crore was donated to the Trust by companies affiliated to JSW. The CBI found that Rs 6 crore had been transferred to Swamy Vivekananda Vidya Samsthe, of which, Yeddyurappa was a trustee.
The special CBI court judge RB Dharmagowder acquitted all 13 accused of all charges. The verdict was delivered at 11 am.
The accused were named in the chargesheet in the following order, Yeddyurappa, Vijendra, Raghavendra, Sohan Kumar, Prerana Trust, former minister SN Krishnaiah Shetty, South West Mining Company, JSW Steel Limited, Vinod Noel of JSW Steel, JSW vice president Vikas Sharma, Real Technical Solution Limited, Jai Bharat Techncial Services Pvt Limited, Industrial Supply Services Pvt Limited.