SC notice to Somanna, wife in land denotification case

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to BJP leader and former minister V Somanna and his wife Shylaja, on a plea by the Lokayukta police challenging High Court of Karnataka’s order that had quashed proceedings initiated against them in a land denotification case.

The case also involved former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa as denotification of 22 guntas at Nagadevanahalli in Bengaluru in 2009 was done during his tenure.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan sought response from Somanna, Shylaja and another person Lingaraju, the erstwhile land owner.

Additional Advocate General Devadatt Kamat, along with advocate Joseph Aristotle, challenged the high court’s order of January 2, 2017.

Representing the Lokayukta police, they contended that the high court had wrongly set aside the summons issued by the Bengaluru court against Somanna and others on April 13, 2012.

In a complaint, Ravi Krishna Reddy, an activist, had alleged that Yeddyurappa denotified 22 guntas in Nagadevanahalli in 2009 to an education trust owned by Somanna’s wife, in violation of rules. The police, however, filed a closure report saying there was no evidence of any offence. Rejecting police report, the trial court took cognisance of the offences under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The special leave petition did not name Yeddyurappa as the high court ordered was passed, on a petition filed by Somanna, Shylaja and the other person.