In what comes as relief to BJP Vice-President BS Yeddyurappa, the Karnataka High Court on November 24 has asked the state's Governor Vajubhai Vala to take a fresh a look at the permissions given by former Governor HR Bharadwaj to prosecute Yeddyurappa.
The court has set aside the sanction for prosecution given in five cases of alleged illegal denotification of land acquired by the Yeddyurappa-led government.
The cases were filed by two advocates, Sirajin Basha and Balraj in December 2010.
A Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court said that Governor Bharadwaj had not considered the recommendations made by the then Cabinet against sanction of prosecution.
In 2011, on the request of the two advocates, the then Governor H R Bharadwaj had accorded sanction to prosecute the then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over allegations of denotification of land acquired by the government, apart from other charges.
In the same year, Bharadwaj wrote to the Chief Minister saying that the Cabinet resolution urging him to not give permission for the prosecution of the Chief Minister was “unwarranted”.
He is the first Chief Minister of the state against whom a Governor has granted sanction for prosecution.
With the High Court now setting aside the sanction, it depends on the new Governor to take a fresh call in the case.