The Special Court constituted to deal with criminal cases related to MPs and MLAs in Karnataka has acquitted the former Minister C.P. Yogeshwar from the charges of furnishing false information on annual assets and liabilities to the Karnataka Lokayukta.
Ramachandra D. Huddar, judge of the Special Court, passed the order in two separate cases registered during 2007–08 against Mr. Yogeshwar after the then Karnataka Lokayukta had ordered registration of cases against him based on a complaint filed by one Ravindra Beleyur.
“The ingredients of the offence are not properly proved by the prosecution with legal evidence. There are discrepancies, material contradictions, omissions and admissions in favour of the accused, which shake the basic case of the prosecution. Therefore, if all these factual features are put together, it can be stated that the prosecution has utterly failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond all reasonable doubt. Hence, accused is entitled for acquittal by giving benefit of doubt,” the court said in its orders.
In the first case, it was alleged that Mr. Yogeshwar, who was MLA of Channapatna constituency, had not disclosed loan of ₹5 crore and investments made in Megacity (Bangalore) Developers and Builders Ltd. in his assets and liability declaration for 2004–05 before the Lokayukta.
The allegations in the second case were that Mr. Yogeshwar had not furnished balance in his savings bank accounts, and shareholdings of himself and his wife in Megacity (Bangalore) Developers and Builders Ltd.
It was also alleged that there was variance of around ₹10 lakh in the insurance amount declared by him besides non-disclosure of a land owned by him in the declaration for 2006.
