New Delhi, Jul 22 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Karnataka High Court order refusing to quash criminal proceedings pending against former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa under Prevention of Corruption of Act on charges of de-notifying several acres of land in 2006-07.

The senior BJP leader had moved the top court challenging the high court order. A bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana issued notice to the Karnataka government on a special leave petition filed by Yediyurappa and also stayed the high court order.

The bench, also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, passed the order after hearing senior advocate K.V. Viswanathan, representing Yediyurappa. Counsel argued that the high court had quashed the very same FIR which was also registered against the first accused on October 9, 2015. Against this backdrop, he contended that investigation against the former Chief Minister on the same FIR was illegal and amounted to abuse of process of court.

The high court had refused to quash the investigation conducted by the Lokayukta police, saying that laxity in conducting the investigation in the instant case is deprecated and the Lokayukta court is directed to keep watch over the investigation ordered by the criminal courts in respect of the misconduct of public servants and MPs and MLAs involved in the commission of criminal offences.

Yeddyurappa has challenged the validity of the high court's order passed in December 2020.

In February 2015, a Bengaluru district court had asked the Lokayukta police to investigate the charges levelled in a private complaint filed by Vasudev Reddy.