BeyondHeadlines Special Correspondent
Bangalore, New Delhi: Lokayukta police has decided not to open the FIR filed against Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, his sons and others or arrest them with regard to the corruption and land grabbing cases.
Rupak Kumar Dutta, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of Lokayukta police, told Express that he had received suggestions from Chief of the Legal Cell (CLC) R Chandrashekhar not to open the FIR against any of the accused under Section 202 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
“According to the CLC, the police have no power to arrest the accused under Section 202 (1) of CrPC, but they can summon the accused for investigation, examine and interrogate the accused, and can conduct raids without a warrant,” Dutta explained.
However, the police can seek the help of the court if the accused do not cooperate with the investigating officials, he said.
The accused in this case include CM Yeddyurappa, his sons MP B Y Raghavndra, B Y Vijayendra, his son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar, former minister S N Krishnaiah Setty and Devagiri Properties Developers, which is partly owned by the CM’s kin.
On March 24, 23rd City Civil Sessions Judge Hippargi of the Lokayukta Court had referred one of the five cases to the Lokayukta police.
The police was given six weeks (before May 4) to complete the investigation on the charges against the CM.
Initially, Dutta had told the media they will treat this case as any other case and they would open an FIR. But later, he asked Chief of the Legal Cell for suggestions.
The CLC had clearly stated that this would be an investigation but not an inquiry and the police can only submit a report to the court at the end of the investigation and not a chargesheet as the special court had sought the police’s help.
