Today, On 15th January, The Karnataka High Court deferred the hearing on a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged MUDA scam to January 27. The plea also requests the transfer of the case from the Lokayukta police to the CBI, citing the involvement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The court’s decision is awaited on whether the investigation will be reassigned to ensure impartiality. The case has drawn significant public and political attention.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court revoked its previous interim stay that had prevented the Mysuru Lokayukta police from continuing their investigation into Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his co-accused in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna instructed the Lokayukta police to resume their inquiry, which will be overseen by the Inspector General of the Lokayukta police.
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The court also mandated that the Lokayukta submit a progress report by January 27 and provide all existing records and files related to the case by January 16.
Justice Nagaprasanna stated,
“You (Lokayukta) should resume your investigation and submit your final report or any findings by the next hearing. Additionally, by tomorrow, you must present everything collected from December 19, 2024, to date,”
All parties involved have been directed to submit their objections by the next hearing date. This ruling came during the consideration of a petition filed by activist Snehamayi Krishna, one of the three complainants in the MUDA scam, who sought a CBI investigation into the alleged misconduct.
Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Krishna, argued that the Lokayukta, being under the State government, may not be able to conduct an impartial investigation involving the Chief Minister. He also noted that after the Lokayukta began its investigation, a committee of three IAS officers conducted a surprise inspection and “removed” all relevant records from the Lokayukta.
In response, the High Court indicated that the committee’s surprise visit was related to the overall functioning of MUDA and not specifically about the alleged illegal land allotment to Siddaramaiah’s wife.
Senior Advocates Dr. A.M. Singhvi and Professor Ravivarma Kumar, representing the Chief Minister, challenged Singh’s assertions, arguing they were irrelevant since the committee had examined the MUDA office before a special court in Bengaluru had instructed the Lokayukta to pursue the current investigation.
Previously, on December 19, Justice Nagaprasanna had prohibited the Mysuru Lokayukta police from further investigation into Siddaramaiah and his co-accused. In September, the same judge rejected a plea from Siddaramaiah contesting the Governor’s sanction to initiate corruption cases against him regarding land allocated by MUDA to his wife, Parvathi.
Following this, the Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah and three others on charges of corruption, cheating, and forgery related to the MUDA site allotment.
Read Also: MUDA Scam | Karnataka Governor Seeks Response from CM Siddaramaiah
The MUDA scam revolves around allegations made by anti-corruption activists T J Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar, who approached the Karnataka Governor in July, seeking permission to file complaints against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The activists alleged that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, was allotted 14 housing sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in exchange for a 3.16-acre plot of land that MUDA had unlawfully acquired in 2021, during the previous BJP-led administration. This transaction reportedly caused a Rs 55.80 crore loss to the state.
On July 26, Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot issued a show cause notice to Siddaramaiah. Despite the Karnataka Council of Ministers passing a resolution on August 1 requesting the Governor to withdraw the notice, the Governor granted approval on August 16 to initiate proceedings against Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
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