CBI searches premises of BSY, relatives, mining firm

Incriminating documents seized, says investigating agency

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches on the premises of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, members of his family, Prerana Education Trust run by them and two mining companies in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary in the early hours of Wednesday.  

The raids were part of a probe ordered by the Supreme Court into allegations of corruption against Yeddyurappa.

The raiding teams also searched the house of former Muzrai Minister ES Krishnaiah Setty.

The pre-dawn raids came within 24 hours of registering a first information report (FIR) against Yeddyurappa. The searches, which continued through out the day, are in line with the Supreme Court’s order to the CBI to probe into allegations that Yeddyurappa and his kin received kickbacks in a quid pro quo deal with the South West Mining company owned by JSW.  

The CBI investigators also searched the offices of JSW Steel and South West Mining Company Limited in Bellary district. As the raids were continuing, Yeddyurappa and his kin moved the special CBI court seeking an anticipatory bail on the probe into the Rachenahalli denotification case.

The investigating agency has registered the FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

The CBI had booked the accused under Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 of IPC, Sec 7, 13(2) r/w 13 (1) (c) and (d) of the PC Act and Sec 9 r/w of Karnataka Land (Restriction on Transfer) Act 1991.

Donations

Following the raids, the CBI said in a press release that it had obtained “incriminating documents, including those related to donations made to Prerana Trust in crores.” 

In Bangalore, the CBI teams fanned out and raided the residence of Yeddyurappa on Race Course Road, Prerana Chambers—Prerana Educational Trust, Dhavalagiri properties and Bhagat Homes, Dollars Colony house— ‘Davalagiri home’, son-in-law Sohan Kumar’s residence at RPC Layout, other offices of  Prerana Chambers and Davalgari Developers jointly owned by B Y Raghavendra, B Y Vijayendra and Sohan , and the residence of Malur MLA Krishnaiah Shetty at Rajajinagar Block VI. 

Hearing of the raids, Yeddyurappa’s followers, including State cabinet ministers Basavraj Bommai, Shobha Karandlaje and Murgesh Nirani rushed to his Race Course Road residence. The former chief minister’s supporters thronged the residence, only to be turned away by the CBI team, which left the place only by afternoon, without talking to the large posse of mediamen waiting outside.

Yeddyurappa’s former political secretary B J Puttuswamy said: “Yeddyurappa and his family have co-operated with the CBI teams and have accepted that the investigating agency is doing its job. He has assured us that the final report by the CBI will exonerate him from the allegations levelled by his detractors.”

The CBI also raided the residence of Yeddyurappa’s daughter S Y Arunadevi at Vinoba Nagar, Shimoga and residences of JSW chief executive officer Vinod Nowal and JSW office at Toranagal in Bellary. 

The apex court on May 11 ordered the CBI to probe the charges that a subsidiary of the steel major Jindal group (South West Mining Company) donated Rs10 crore to an educational trust (Prerana) set up by Yeddyurappa's family for granting it leases to mine iron ore during his tenure as chief minister from May 30, 2008, to July 31, 2011.

A central empowered committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court on April 20 recommended a CBI probe into the graft charges on the basis of voluminous documents and records submitted by the Dharwad-based Samudaya Trust, an NGO.

CBI Hyderabad Division Joint Director V V Lakshminarayana, Bangalore Division DGP R Hithendra and SP Subramanyeshwara Rao spearheaded the raids. 

Later, a high-level meeting led by Lakshminarayana was held at the CBI office at Ganganagar here. The discussions were on the documents obtained. CBI sources said the accused were likely to be issued notices in a day or two.