Yeddyurappa's anticipatory bail plea rejected

Bangalore, June 13 (IANS) In a severe jolt to former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Wednesday rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the mining bribery case.

CBI court judge D.R. Venkat Sudarshan also rejected anticipatory bail pleas of Yeddyurappa's two sons, B.Y. Raghavendra and B.Y. Vijayendra, and son-in-law R. Sohan Kumar.

Raghavendra is Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Karnataka.

With the rejection of the plea, the CBI can arrest Yeddyurappa and kin, though his lawyers said they will move the high court for bail.

The mining bribery case is being probed by the CBI on the directive of the Supreme Court.

Yeddyurappa and his kin are accused of taking kickbacks from mining companies in return for favours.

Yeddyurappa, BJP's first chief minister in Karnataka, was forced to quit in July last year over the same issue brought out by the Lokayukta (ombudsman).