Siddaramaiah had contested a single-bench order from September 23, which dismissed his petition against the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
![[MUDA SCAM] 'Governor Has No Authority To Sanction Prosecution Of CM Siddaramaiah': State to Karnataka High Court](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Muda-scam.jpg?resize=820%2C461&ssl=1)
Karnataka: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday (5th Dec) postponed the hearing of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s plea to January 20. The plea challenges the court’s earlier decision upholding the Governor’s approval of an investigation into the alleged MUDA scam.
Siddaramaiah had contested a single-bench order from September 23, which dismissed his petition against the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
This sanction permits an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotting sites to his wife. Justice Nagaprasanna had ruled that the Governor’s decision was not flawed due to non-application of mind.
The petition challenges the legality of the Governor’s sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The sanction was granted on August 17, based on complaints from social activists Pradeep Kumar SP, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna. They alleged that MUDA illegally allocated 14 prime sites in Mysuru to Siddaramaiah’s wife.
The Mysuru Lokayukta is currently investigating the case, following a court order on September 27 to register an FIR.
On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah criticized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for writing to the Lokayukta just before the High Court hearing. He alleged that the ED’s actions were intended to influence the judiciary. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), he accused the ED of leaking information to the media to create bias, calling the investigation politically motivated.
The ED has also registered a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah and others, based on the Lokayukta FIR. Despite the allegations and mounting pressure from the BJP, Siddaramaiah has denied any wrongdoing and refused to resign, maintaining that the charges are politically driven.
BACKGROUND
The case involves allegations of corruption in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) granting land to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi. The Karnataka Governor granted sanction on July 26 to prosecute the CM following private complaints by activists TJ Abraham, Snehamai Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar SP.
The complainants alleged that MUDA granted inflated compensation for 14 parcels of land in exchange for development work on 3 acres of land owned by Parvathi. These 3 acres were reportedly gifted to Parvathi by her brother, Mallikarjuna Swamy, who had acquired the land in 2004 from Devaraju.
The original landowner, Devaraju, has now claimed that he is being unfairly dragged into the political dispute. Represented by Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, Devaraju expressed his frustration with the situation, pointing out that he was not involved in the political drama.
