No exemption to BSY from court appearance

BANGALORE: In another jolt to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, the High Court special bench on Thursday rejected his prayer seeking exemption from appearing before the Special Lokayukta Court, which had summoned him on August 27. A division bench comprising Justice Ajit Gunjal and Justice B V Nagaratna, hearing Yeddyurappa’s petition seeking to quash the Governor’s sanction to prosecute him, rejected his application seeking exemption from personal appearance.Supreme Court senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, who appeared for Yeddyurappa, filed an application to implead the state government and sought exemption from appearing before the trial court expressing apprehension that if he appeared before the court, he might be remanded to judicial custody.In the submission, he stated, “My client’s (Yeddyurappa) liberty is at stake.I have never heard of being sent to jail based on a private complaint,” he stated.“Everything was fine in the state till the Governor came. He is on a mission to demolish the government and has recommended imposition of President’s Rule, which was declined by his own party at the Centre,” he said.Jethmalani then cited several incidents where he said the Governor had acted on bias, adding that the Governor’s sanction was without application of mind.However, the bench refused to buy the argument and rejected the application, and observed, “The apprehension might be true, but there is no reason to believe that.We decline to grant the request of the petitioner.” The court further directed the state, which was impleaded by the petitioners on Thursday, to file objections by October 18.The court also stated, “We are informed that two petitions seeking relief are pending before the High Court.”