BANGALORE, JAN 21
The bitter political war in Karnataka reached a crescendo tonight when Governor H R Bhardwaj sanctioned prosecution of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in alleged land scams.
BJP hit back at the Governor calling the decision constitutionally improper and politically motivated.
The sanction of the Governor for prosecuting Yeddyurappa in an appropriate Court of Law for various “grave” allegations of corruption and criminal misconduct came on a day when the two attacked each other.
The Governor has been engaged in an open battle with the Chief Minister on charges of corruption against ministers, especially the Reddy brothers.
A Raj Bhavan communique said the sanction was accorded under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973.
Both the provisions relate to Governor’s powers to grant sanction against public servant.
However, the communique remained silent on the petition filed by Lawyers Forum, which had also sought permission to prosecute Home Minister R Ashoka, alleging involvement in land denotification scam.
The Governor’s action comes on the Forum’s petition on land allotment by the Chief Minister allegedly in favour of his relatives.
There have been instances when Governors have given sanction for prosecution of a sitting Chief Minister like in the case of A R Antulay, J Jayalalithaa, Mayawati and Lalu Prasad.
In the midst of a war of words between him and the Government, Bhardwaj advanced his decision by a day on the petition. The Governor had said yesterday he would decide in two days.
Karnataka Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, who had himself resigned last year over differences with the State Government on corruption issue, said a judge of an appropriate court has to look into the cases against the Chief Minister and then take a decision whether to go ahead with the case.
Yeddyurappa thus became the first ever chief minister in Karnataka to face prosecution over allegations of corruption and land scams in the State history.
An unfazed Governor stood his ground brushing aside all accusations hurled at him, including of being an agent of Congress and rejected a State Cabinet resolution to “drop” prosecution proceedings.
Angered over the Governor’s latest outbursts, the BJP also went into a combative mode with Yeddyurappa demanding an unconditional apology from Bhardwaj for making certain remarks against his Government.
