Mining scam: "Justice is done, I stand vindicated", says BSY

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], Oct. 26 (ANI): A CBI special court today acquitted former Karnataka chief minister and state BJP president B. S. Yeddyurappa and his sons in an illegal mining bribery case. "Justice is done, I stand vindicated... Thanks to all well wishers, friends & supporters who stood with me in my tough times," he wrote on Twitter. Yeddyurappa, his two sons, his son-in-law, steel major JSW Steel and four Bellary-based JSW Steel affiliates were cleared of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption charges. "The judgement is about 400 to 500 pages. So far, we have not been given the copy of the judgement... The judge said that the prosecution has become unsuccessful in proving the guilt of the accused," advocate C.V. Nagesh told the media outside the court premises. The bribe, it is alleged, was paid for grant of official favours during Yeddyurappa's tenure as the chief minister between 2008 and 2011. In all, 216 witnesses were examined in the case. The CBI had filed a chargesheet on October 16, 2012, accusing Yeddyurappa and 12 others of corruption after investigations purportedly revealed that Rs. 20 crore was deposited in personal bank accounts of the Karnataka strongman's sons B.Y. Raghavendra (now a BJP MLA) and B Y Vijendra, and his son-in-law Sohan Kumar between August and September 2010. (ANI)