Another probe ordered against Yeddyurappa

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Trouble for arrested former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa continues. Police were on Wednesday given one month's time by a court here to probe the sixth corruption case against the jailed Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

Lokayukta (Omudsman) Special Court Judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao directed police to complete the probe and submit a report by November 26. Yeddyurappa has already been given anticipatory bail in this case by the Karnataka High Court.

He is in jail in two of the five other cases of corruption and illegal land deals filed by two Bengaluru advocates.

The sixth case against Yeddyurappa relates to receiving a kickback of Rs.13 crore from a private firm for awarding a contract in the Upper Bhadra irrigation project.

The project is intended to take water from the Tunga river in Chikmagalur district to the Bhadra reservoir in the neighbouring Shimoga district.

Police sought three months' time from the court to complete the probe but Judge Rao declined.

The court ordered the probe on the basis of a complaint filed by Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) lawmaker Y.S.V. Datta that the contract was awarded to the highest bidder whereas the norm was to give it to the lowest bidder.

Datta alleged that the contract was awarded to R.N.S Jyothi for a whopping Rs.1,033 crore though other bidders had quoted lower cost.

In return for getting the contract, R.N.S Jyothi paid Rs.13 crore to Dhavalagiri Developers Ltd, owned by Yeddyurappa's sons B.Y. Vijayendra and B.Y. Raghavendra, and son-in-law R. Sohan Kumar.

Raghavendra is the BJP's Lok Sabha member from Shimoga constituency, about 280 km from Bengaluru.

The Lokayukta court took note of the complaint and ordered police to begin the probe on August 10.

The former chief minister has sought bail in the other five corruption cases. Hearing on his bail plea in two cases will resume October 28.

Yeddyurappa resigned as the ruling BJP's first chief minister in south India July 31 after the then Lokayukta N. Santosh Hedge recommended July 27 his trial for corruption in mining in the state.