08 April,2011 09:52 AM IST | | B V Shiva Shankar
After being advised on the legalities of offering BDA sites to Indian team for lifting the World Cup, Yeddyurappa backtracks on his words and announces cash prizes instead
Legal formalities finally urged Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to concede defeat and he admitted that he did not have any powers to direct Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to allot sites to anyone. Trying to save face, he instead announced a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh to each players of the Indian squad for winning the World Cup.
Barred: MiD DAY carried a report on April 5u00a0-- Yeddyurappa in cup
muddleu00a0-- saying that the CM had no powers to make such announcements
in the wake of a High Court order that barred him from intervening in the
affairs of the BDA. File Pic
Yeddyurappa, well aware of the fact that the odds were stacked against him said, "I realised there are legal hurdles to allot BDA sites for the cricketers and I am taking back my words. The government will give a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh to each player who took part in the World Cup," said Yeddyurappa. An insider in the CM's office informed that the CM had no choice but to go back on his words after officials advised him on the legalities of his offer under the present circumstances.
"They said it would quite embarrassing for him, if he went ahead with the idea," he said. MiD DAY carried a report -- April 5 'Yeddyurappa in cup muddle' --saying that the CM had no powers to make such announcements in the wake of a High Court order that barred him and the government from intervening in the affairs of the BDA as the urban body was autonomous. Also, the rules restricted authorities to allot plots only to those who have lived in the limits for at least 10 years.
Still in hot seat
Yeddyurappa may have dodged the bullet in this instance, but is not in the clear yet, as the BDA has allotted some 67 sites on his insistence after the High Court verdict, and those allotments are illegal. "Even after the High Court informed that the CM has no discretionary powers to allot BDA sites and the urban body need not take his directions, sites have still been allotted under G-category. We are mulling over filing a petition with a plea for cancelling the allotment," said B M Shivakumar, an RTI activist who had unearthed the BDA site scam.
Apart from this, two cases regarding the cancellation of sites allotted under G-category are pending before the High Court. While S Vasudev, a citybased lawyer, has moved the High Court pleading for cancellation of some 200 sites allotted after Yeddyurappa took over as CM in 2008, another petition with a plea for cancellation of 250 site allotted when H D Kumarswamy was CM is pending before the court. "The case is posted for hearing to May 24. We have requested the court to club the two cases into one and the court will hear on it," said Vasudev.
Hasty decision?
Immediately after India won the cup on Saturday, CM Yeddyurappa announced that he would gift a 50X80 ft BDA site to each team member. His euphoric gesture elicited widespread criticism and was viewed as a bid to cover up his irregularities under the World Cup glory.
