The Karnataka high court on Thusday granted conditional bail to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in a corruption case relating to alleged irregularities in denotifying lands.

Yeddyurappa has been given bail in the third private complaint against him and his bail application in the fourth private complaint has been posted for orders in the afternoon.

In the event of the court also allowing his bail plea in the fourth complaint, Yeddyurappa may walk free out of the jail.

While allowing him bail in the third private complaint, Justice B V Pinto directed him to furnish a surety for Rs five lakh and not to tamper with evidence.

Yeddyurappa is in judicial custody for the last 20 days which was granted by a Lokayukta court before which the case is pending.

The Lokayukta court had earlier dismissed the bail application of Yeddyurappa, against whom it had issued summons in two private complaints regarding alleged irregularities in denotification of government land for pecuniary gains.

Facing arrest, Yeddyurappa had surrended before the Lokyukta court, where advocate Sirajin Basha had filed the complaints.

Yeddyurappa, his two sons-- B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha memebr and B Y Vijendra and son-in-law R N Sohan Kumar have also moved applications seeking anticipatory bail in three other private complaints in which they have been named as accused by Basha.

Their pleas are being heard by Justice Billiappa on Thursday.

While granting bail to Yeddyurappa, Justice Pinto observed that criminal jurisprudence principles would not go to the extent of denying a person the right to personal liberty on the basis of allegations levelled against him.

He also observed that though Yeddyurappa's offence was grave in nature, the petitioner was not a habitual offender.

The judge said it was too early to decide whether the petitioner (Yeddyurappa) is guilty or not as the credence of documents submitted to the court was yet to be proved.

Earlier, C H Hanumanthraya, Basha's counsel argued that Yeddyurappa should not be granted bail as he was a 'powerful' and 'influential' person who could tamper with evidence.

"Since the petitioner has submitted all documentary evidence before the court, it was unlikely for him to tamper with evidence," Justice Pinto observed.

Meanwhile the court also adjourned to Nov 8 Yeddyurappa's anticipatory bail applications in three of five cases filed against him, alleging illegal denotification of land for pecuniary gain.

Justice H Billappa adjourned the cases to that day to enable Lokayukta file their objections in the case.