Even as the Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR against CM Siddaramaiah, complainant in the MUDA case has approached the court seeking a CBI investigation.
Published Sep 27, 2024 | 7:37 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 27, 2024 | 7:40 PM
Siddaramaiah during state-level second Janaspanda program. (X)
Days after the Special Court for elected representatives directed the Karnataka Lokayukta to probe the allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Friday, 27 September, an FIR was filed against him by the Lokayukta.
The Karnataka CM has been named A1 (accused 1) in the FIR while his wife, Parvathi, has been named A2 (accused 2).
This involves controversy surrounding the alleged scam over the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment. MUDA had acquired agricultural land in Kesare village, 20 km from Mysuru city, along with 3.5 acres belonging to a Dalit farmer. Between 1998 and 2004, the land went through a spate of notifications and de-notifications, making the issue more complex.
In 2004, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law purchased the 3.5 acres from the Dalit owner and later gifted it to his sister in 2010. Later, MUDA notified and acquired the land, for which Parvathi demanded suitable compensation. By then, Siddaramaiah had become the chief minister.
However, MUDA decided to compensate landowners by providing developed sites and money, instead of compensating fully with money corresponding to the market value. Accordingly, Parvathi was awarded 14 sites in the new extension of Mysuru city.
The move comes days after the Karnataka High Court dismissed the Chief Minister’s petition challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s nod to probe him in the MUDA scam. A single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna who took up the petition said the facts mentioned in it needed investigation.
“Order does not suffer from non-application of mind by Governor,” the court said adding that the interim order on the petition would stand dissolved from Tuesday, 24 September.
Bengaluru’s Special Court for elected representatives, based on a petition submitted by Mysuru’s social activist Snehamayi Krishna, ordered the Mysuru Lokayukta Police to conduct an investigation and submit a report within three months,based on allegations that CM’s wife was unlawfully granted 14 sites as compensation by the MUDA.
In the FIR registered by Lokayukta SP Udesh, the CM’s brother-in-law – Mallikarjuna Swamy and the person who sold the land – Devaraju have been named third and fourth accused.
Even as the Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah, one of the complainants in the MUDA case approached the court seeking a CBI inquiry.
Snehamayi Krishna, who is one of the petitioners in the MUDA case, told reporters in Mysuru: “We have filed another writ petition before the High Court to handover the investigation to the CBI on two grounds: one, Lokayukta falls under the state government and there are chances of influencing the case. Two, there is a rule that CBI has to probe cases that are booked against the Chief Minister and if the irregularities amount to more than Rs 50 crore.”
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Nolan Pinto)
