GRABBING TIME! LAW OF THE LAND CATCHING UP YEDURAPPA, FAMILY & COMPANY UNDER SIEGE

                                     

Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

1st September 2011 issue-

                                              GRABBING TIME!             

                              LAW OF THE LAND CATCHING UP

          YEDURAPPA, FAMILY & COMPANY UNDER SIEGE

B. S. Yeddyurappa, the former Chief Minister now stands fully exposed for what he is. He has become a shining example for corruption and nepotism and is neck deep in trouble with series of criminal cases filed against him and investigations under way.

Fearing arrest and subsequent stay at Parappana Agrahara Jail, Yedurappa is running from pillar to post to safeguard himself. He has engaged very big lawyers to bail him out but till now, he has not obtained any relief from the High Court.

Yedurappa, his sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, son-in-law and some of his close associates are facing a series of criminal cases under Prevention of Corruption Act. On the face of it, these cases are very serious in nature and they can not be brushed aside as political vendetta. Even though one finds political factors, it can not be altogether blamed for the mess Yedurappa is in, today. Apparently, it is his own doing.

After becoming the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2008, Yedurappa, in his zeal to make money in all conceivable means, threw the caution to the winds. He along with his kith and kin started the process of amassing wealth and there was no stopping. They floated several benami firms and Trusts to park the money and also entered the real estate business in a big way. Yedurappa and his family members started clinching business deals, transfer deals etc. His kith and kin divided the money making business among them and also started implementing innovative ideas to make mountains of money and its safe keep.

But, after HDK started their exposure of scams from last September, the downfall began. There was no respite in exposures and Yedurappa’s image nosedived as a champion of corruption and nepotism. There were various cases filed against him in High Court and also with Lokayukta and there was also a petition to sanction his prosecution. But, Yedurappa being the most powerful man in State successfully blocked all the probes and proceedings against him.

But, when Lokayukta Santosh Hegde’s mining report named him as one of the accused, Yedurappa was forced to resign by the BJP High Command. He however, succeeded to appoint his trust worthy D.V.Sadananda Gowda as the CM. While his intention could be for his own protection from future adversaries, it is easier said than done.

Yedurappa apprehends that he and his family will also meet the similar fate as Katta’s if the law is allowed to take its own course. He is therefore trying means to safeguard him but as he is no more a CM, he will be treated as an ordinary man in the eyes of law. One can not expect any ‘special status’ treatment by the courts in his case. Yedurappa who had ‘blocked’ any semblance of probe into his multifaceted and multidimensional scams up till now, has to face them squarely now.

One thing is sure that Yedurappa has to face the music of law, whether he likes it or not in spite of having the best legal brains at his command. Though he has a puppet CM at his back he may have to face trial and jail if not today, tomorrow! Given the attitude of the judiciary’s aversion in political related corruption cases, Yedurappa is presently in a hapless position. And there is a moral in the entire episode. ‘Law will take its course, whether one likes it or not’. And that is all.