With the Lokayukta police filing a ‘B report’ in the land denotification case involving V. Somanna saying he was unaware of the fact that the land in question was under acquisition, the housing minister could soon be off the hook. The special Lokayukta court which heard the case, posted the hearing to March 29. The court also directed the complainant in the case, Ravi Krishna Reddy to file his objections by the next date of hearing.
In its B report, the Ayukta police said that the irregularities listed by the complainant have not been proved. The police also quoted the legal opinion of Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Panchakshari Math. When special court judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao asked the SPP if a CM can denotify land even after it is acquired, the SPP said he too had found the case fit for a B report. According to the police, Somanna was not aware that the 22 guntas of land he bought, was under acquisition nor did then CM B.S. Yeddyurappa receive pecuniary gains for issuing the denotification order.
The complainant had said Yeddyurappa as CM, had ordered the denotification of 22 guntas of land in Nagadevanahalli in 2009 to benefit an education trust owned by Somanna’s wife, Shailaja. The complaint said the land was acquired by BDA and despite this, a part of it in survey number 77 and 78 was sold to Somanna’s wife Shylaja in 2004. A rectification deed was also executed in 2005. Lokayukta DySP Prasa-nna V. Raju appeared in the court to file the B report. The court directed city SP Shivashankar to be present as he had bene directed to investigate the case. In the afternoon, the city SP appeared in court and said he had directed the DySP to be the Investigating Officer.