High Court grants anticipatory bail to Kumaraswamy

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in a case registered against him by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Lokayukta for alleged misuse of his office to show a favour to a mining company when he was the Chief Minister. Justice Rathnakala passed the order while allowing Mr. Kumaraswamy’s petition. The court, however, directed Mr. Kumaraswamy to mark his attendance with the SIT every alternative Monday for the next six months or till the filing of the final report in the case. The court also said that the SIT should release him on bail in the event of his arrest, on production of a bond for ₹5 lakh and two sureties for the like sums. The allegations against Mr. Kumaraswamy is that he had abused his powers in grant of mining permission to Janthakal Enterprises besides permitting it to lift an old stock of 1 lakh tonnes of iron ore. Also, it was alleged that Mr. Kumaraswamy had allotted land of around 80 acres to Vishwabarathi House Building Cooperative Society in violation of norms and the society later allotted sites to some of his family members. The trial court, which had granted interim anticipatory bail, had subsequently rejected his plea for anticipatory bail. Later the High Court had passed an interim order asking the SIT not to arrest him until his petition for anticipatory bail is decided by the court.