Today, On 7th February, The Karnataka High Court rejected a petition seeking to transfer the MUDA scam investigation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the CBI. The plea was filed by activist Snehmayi Krishna, the original complainant in the case. Justice M Nagaprasanna, a single-judge bench, dismissed the request, stating that no grounds warranted a CBI probe. The decision upholds the ongoing investigation by state authorities.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a request to transfer the ongoing Lokayukta investigation into the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, the presiding judge, issued the order in response to a petition from activist Snehmayi Krishna, who is the original complainant in the MUDA case and sought the transfer of the probe to the CBI. The allegations center on corruption related to land granted by MUDA to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi.
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According to the complaint, Parvathi received a plot of land measuring just over three acres as a “gift” from her brother, Mallikarjuna Swamy. This land initially acquired, then de-notified, and subsequently purchased by Swamy, who claimed to have gifted it to his sister. The land reportedly developed by MUDA despite being privately owned.
Swamy asserted that he purchased the land in 2004 and gifted it to Parvathi. However, since the development by MUDA was deemed illegal, Parvathi sought compensation and allegedly received inflated compensation, including 14 developed plots of land significantly more valuable than the original three acres, under a 50:50 scheme.
On July 26, 2024, the Karnataka Governor authorized the filing of a corruption case against Siddaramaiah, following complaints from activists T.J. Abraham, Snehamai Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar SP. Siddaramaiah subsequently challenged this decision in the High Court, arguing that the MUDA’s compensation decision was made independently.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna rejected Siddaramaiah’s plea on September 24, 2024. Following this, the Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah and three others on charges of corruption, cheating, and forgery.
Snehmayi Krishna then filed the current petition seeking to transfer the investigation to the CBI. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Krishna, contended that the Lokayukta Police may not conduct a fair investigation since it is a state authority examining the Chief Minister.
In response, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state, argued that Singh’s claims held no legal weight given the statutory powers granted to the Lokayukta under Section 7 of the Act, which empowers it to investigate public servants, including Chief Ministers. Sibal further stated that a transfer to another agency is warranted only if the involved parties believe the investigation is mala fide.
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Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Siddaramaiah, opposed Krishna’s plea on similar grounds. He noted that Krishna initially sought an investigation by either the CBI or the Lokayukta police but changed his stance shortly after the FIR was registered.
Singhvi emphasized that if the High Court were to accept Krishna’s argument, it would undermine the Lokayukta’s ability to investigate any public servant, regardless of its statutory powers. Senior Advocates Ravi Varma Kumar and Aditya Sondhi, representing Siddaramaiah and his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, also opposed the petition. Kumar added that Siddaramaiah does not view the CBI as an independent agency.
Senior Counsel Dushyant Dave represented J. Devaraju, the original owner of the land transferred to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi.