Bangalore: Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted
anticipatory bail to former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and
his MLA wife Anita, who apprehended arrest in two corruption
cases filed against them in the Special Lokayukta Court here.
"Both petitions allowed", Justice L Narayana Swamy said,
pronouncing the order providing legal relief to the JDS leader
against whom the Lokayukta Court had issued summons.
The two were granted exemption from personal appearance
on August 30 and September 5 on health grounds by the
Lokayukta court which yesterday posted the case to tomorrow
for hearing pending the high court order.
The cases pertain to a private complaint filed by an
advocate, Vinod Kumar, alleging that Kumaraswamy had favoured
a mining company during his tenure as Chief Minister in
2006-2007 by renewing the licence and also issuance of permits
for lifting iron ore.
The complaint also charged Kumarasamy with allowing bulk
allotment of sites to a housing society and, as a quid pro
quo, it had granted a site to his wife.
Counsel for Kumaraswamy, a Lok Sabha member and JDS
state unit President, and his wife submitted yesterday that
the trial court judge had issued summons without holding an
enquiry. The bulk allotment was in accordance with a high
court order and that there was nothing to show that he had
accepted illegal gratification, he had argued.
Anita was a member of the Housing society before her
husband became Chief Minister and had also surrendered the
site as it was not as per `Vaastu`, the counsel contended.
Vinod Kumar had alleged that Kumaraswamy indulged in
favouritism and exerted pressure on the then Commissioner of
Mines and Geology to pass an order in favour of the mining
company Janathakal Enterprises and that there was "illegal
gratification" vis-a-vis the bulk allotment.
PTI
