HC grants temporary relief to Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy by pausing SIT probe into alleged land encroachment in Ramanagara.
BENGALURU: Today, on June 19, the Karnataka High Court has granted interim relief to Union Minister and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy by temporarily stopping the Special Investigation Team (SIT) from continuing its inquiry into alleged land encroachment in Kethaganahalli village, located in Ramanagara district.
This decision came after Kumaraswamy approached the High Court, raising objections about the way the SIT was formed and questioning the legal procedures followed by the state government in initiating the investigation.
Kumaraswamy’s petition brings to light deeper concerns about the legality and fairness of the actions taken against him.
His counsel strongly argued that
“the SIT was constituted without the State first issuing a mandatory notification delegating its powers,”
which is a requirement under both Section 195 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act and Section 8 of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2011.
The absence of this crucial step, they claimed, makes the entire SIT investigation “unsustainable.”
Additionally, Kumaraswamy has questioned the manner in which he was added to the contempt proceedings, asserting that
“this was done without first issuing him a necessary show cause notice.”
He maintained that all administrative actions — including the land resurvey, eviction notice, and summons — were taken based on High Court directions from a 2020 contempt case
“to which he was not a party earlier.”
He has filed a separate application before the Bench hearing the contempt case to address this concern and has also submitted a detailed response to the eviction notice, firmly opposing the proposed eviction.
With the High Court now staying the SIT’s operation after considering initial arguments, the legal battle is poised to test the validity of administrative actions and the protections guaranteed under procedural law.
The SIT was set up in January 2025 by the Karnataka government to look into serious allegations of illegal land occupation against Kumaraswamy.
The case concerns claims that land in Kethaganahalli village was encroached upon unlawfully.
H D Kumaraswamy, who is also the son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, filed a petition in the High Court stating that the formation of the SIT and the proceedings initiated by it were not as per law.
In his petition, Kumaraswamy argued that the SIT was formed with political motives and lacked proper legal backing.
He said the probe violated legal norms and accused the government of misusing its power for political gain.
The High Court, after considering Kumaraswamy’s plea, agreed to pause the ongoing SIT inquiry temporarily. This interim relief means that the SIT cannot continue any further investigation into the land encroachment allegations until the court hears the case in full and passes a final order.
In his arguments before the court, Kumaraswamy reportedly raised concerns that his rights were being violated by the actions of the SIT.
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He stated that the probe was causing harm to his reputation and that there was no valid reason or legal justification for constituting the team.
While granting the relief, the Karnataka High Court said it would further examine the validity of the SIT’s formation and whether the investigation was carried out following proper legal procedure.
The court has not yet given a final verdict on whether the allegations against Kumaraswamy are true or false; it has only stayed the investigation for the time being.
Legal experts say that interim relief like this is generally granted when the court feels that continuing an investigation might cause unnecessary harm or when there is a question about the legality of the process involved.
In this case, the court felt that Kumaraswamy’s concerns deserved proper examination and therefore ordered a pause on the SIT’s activities.
The matter is expected to be taken up again in the coming weeks, where the court will hear further arguments from both sides before making a final decision.
CASE TITLE:
HD Kumaraswamy v. State of Karnataka and anr.
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