Published Sep 25, 2024 | 3:41 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 25, 2024 | 4:16 PM
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. (X)
Special Court for elected representatives on Wednesday, 25 September, directed the Karnataka Lokayukta to probe the allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others in connection to the alleged MUDA scam.
The move comes a day 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.
Concerning the allegations that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife was unlawfully granted 14 sites as compensation by the MUDA, Bengaluru’s Special Court for elected representatives Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, based on a petition submitted by Mysuru’s social activist Snehamayi Krishna, has ordered the Mysuru Lokayukta Police to conduct an investigation and submit a report within three months, by 24 December.
Speaking with South First, Snehamayi Krishna, said, “This is the second win in our efforts to get justice against the corrupt politicians, especially the chief minister and his family. The court has directed the Lokayukta to register an FIR and probe the allegations on the Chief Minister and others involved in unlawfully getting 14 sites as compensation from Mysuru Urban Development Authority in Mysuru.”
He added, “We tasted our first victory when the high court dismissed the chief minister’s petition on Tuesday. We have been fighting for the last three to four months for this moment. Now, the court has directed the Lokayukta to probe and submit the report in three months.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responding to the probe orders claimed, “We will not shy away from the probe. We are ready to face it.”
Speaking to the reporters outside Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, he has not seen the complete order yet and will respond once he goes through the order, “Now, I’m heading to Kerala. I will receive the order copy around 6 pm. I will react after going through the order copy.”
Siddaramaiah added after consulting with legal experts he will decide on challenging the high court order.
When asked whether the judicial commission set up under the headship of retired Justice PN Desai to probe the alleged MUDA scam will continue, the chief minister responded that the judicial investigation will proceed.
“I will discuss with my lawyers and decide after receiving the full order. I will provide a complete response after reading the order tomorrow morning.”
On 17 August, Gehlot permitted to prosecute Siddaramaiah in the MUDA land allotment case. In the order of prosecution, the Governor said he is prima facie “satisfied” that the allegations and the supporting materials disclose the commission of offences.
The Governor also termed as “irrational” the decision taken by the Council of Ministers advising him to withdraw his show cause notice to the chief minister and to reject the application seeking prosecution sanction.
The order, accessed by South First, stated that the sanction of the prosecution was granted under section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 218 of the Bharathiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences mentioned in the petitions.
Siddaramaiah’s family has been accused of illegally obtaining 14 sites — at a prime locality in Mysuru — as compensation from the MUDA over the alleged illegal encroachment of 3.16 acres of land by the local development authority.
The MUDA had allotted plots to his wife Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 percent of developed land to the land losers instead of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA “scam” is of the magnitude of ₹4,000 crore to ₹5,000 crore.
The Congress government on 14 July, constituted a single-member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice PN Desai to probe the MUDA ‘scam’.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Mahesh M Goudar.)
