A Special Court in Bengaluru accepted the Lokayukta police’s closure report in the MUDA land allotment case, giving a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife, and two others.
The court, however, allowed further investigation to continue against other accused and posted the matter for February 9.
Bengaluru, January 28: In a major relief to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a Special Court for Public Representatives on Wednesday accepted the closure report filed by the Lokayukta police in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case, giving a clean chit to him and his wife.
The court also extended relief to Siddaramaiah’s wife B M Parvathi, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and the original land owner J Devaraj. The order was passed while hearing a petition filed by activist Snehamayi Krishna, who had challenged the “B Report” (closure report) submitted by the Lokayukta police in the MUDA land allotment matter.
The Special Court, presided over by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, accepted the closure report against the four accused while allowing further investigation to continue against other individuals named in the case. The next date of hearing has been fixed for February 9.
The complainant appeared in person during the hearing. The Special Public Prosecutor representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and officials from the Karnataka Lokayukta were also present before the court.
In its order, the court clearly stated,
“The B Report filed by the Investigating Officer against accused-1 Siddaramaiah, accused-2 B M Parvathi (the CM’s wife), accused-3 Mallikarjuna Swamy and accused-4 J Devaraj, is hereby accepted.”
However, the court clarified that the investigation in the case has not been completely closed. It observed that
“the further investigation being conducted by the Investigating Officer against other accused persons shall continue and he shall file the Final Report on completion of investigation.”
Accordingly, the matter has been posted for further proceedings on February 9.
The judge also rejected the complainant’s plea seeking contempt of court proceedings against the Investigating Officer.
On the role of the central agency, the court observed,
“it is held that the Directorate of Enforcement are having right to intervene in the case as aggrieved persons for limited extent.”
The court further issued directions for administrative compliance and ordered,
“Office is hereby directed to return the CD files and also the draft copy of the Final Report kept in the sealed cover to the concerned Investigating Officer on proper identification.”
The Lokayukta police had earlier, in February last year, submitted the closure report stating that allegations against Siddaramaiah, his wife, and the other accused were not proved due to lack of evidence.
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The FIR in the case was registered by the Lokayukta police on September 27, 2024, following directions issued by the court. Apart from Siddaramaiah and his wife, the FIR also named Mallikarjuna Swamy and J Devaraj. Swamy had purchased land from Devaraj and later gifted it to Parvathi.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority. It was alleged that Parvathi was allotted 14 compensatory sites in a prime area of Mysuru, which had a much higher market value compared to the location of her original land that was acquired by MUDA.
According to the allegations, MUDA allotted plots to Parvathi under a controversial 50:50 ratio scheme, in exchange for 3.16 acres of land owned by her, on which the authority developed a residential layout. The scheme allows landowners to receive 50 per cent of the developed land in return for undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts.
It was further alleged that Siddaramaiah used his political influence to secure favourable allotments for his wife under this scheme.
The complainant had also claimed that Parvathi did not have a valid legal title over the 3.16 acres of land situated at Survey Number 464 of Kesare village, Kasaba Hobli, Mysuru Taluk.
While the Special Court has now accepted the closure report against Siddaramaiah and the three other accused, the investigation into the role of other accused persons in the MUDA land allotment case will continue, with the final report expected to be filed after completion of further investigation.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on MUDA Case
