Court Asks Lokayukta Police to Continue Probe into MUDA Land Case against Karnataka CM, Others
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 15: A special court in Bengaluru on Tuesday granted the Mysuru Lokayukta police to continue its probe into the alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others while deferring a final decision on the Enforcement Directorate’s petition challenging the “B report” of Lokayukta.
The judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat said he would not give a decision on the petition until the final report of the Lokayukta Police was filed. In the “B Report”, the Lokayukta Police had given a clean chit to the Chief Minister, his wife Parvati, wife’s brother and the land seller due to lack of evidence. The ED, however, has challenged the report and demanded a deeper probe.
The Lokayukta police had submitted an initial report after looking into the allegations against Siddaramaiah and three others. In its ruling, the court noted that the investigation should not be limited to just four individuals, directing the police to probe all those involved and submit a detailed report. The Lokayukta is already investigating more than 130 other people connected to the alleged scam. The next hearing of the case will be on May 7.
The MUDA case involves allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 premium sites in Mysuru to Mr Siddaramaiah’s wife by the authority. It has been alleged that the value of the compensatory sites — located in an upmarket area in Mysuru – was far higher than that of the land acquired from her by MUDA. Social activists have alleged that the allotment has led to a loss of Rs 45 crore to the state.
Besides Mr Siddaramaiah and his wife, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police on September 27. Devaraju is the man from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy had purchased land and gifted it to Ms Parvathi.
The Lokayukta “B” report had cleared Siddaramaiah of any wrongdoing. However, the ED and the complainant, activist Snehamaayi Krishna, raised objections and called for a more thorough investigation. The judge stated that a decision on the ‘B Report’ would be made only after the Lokayukta police submitted a full investigation report.
The case involves alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), with accusations that CM Siddaramaiah misused his position.
Earlier reports said while the anti-corruption watchdog Lokayukta has found no evidence against Mr Siddaramaiah, his wife, and others, it had called the site allotment illegal. It had also blamed former MUDA commissioner DB Natesh for violating rules while allotting sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife.
14 sites given to Parvathi Siddaramaiah under the 50:50 scheme were illegal, the report had said. “1055 other sites allotted under same scheme by MUDA violating rules,” it said. According to the report, a detailed probe was required to assess the loss to the exchequer.
The investigation into the MUDA case was launched in September 2024 following a directive from a special court for elected representatives in Bengaluru and was led by Mysuru Lokayukta superintendent of police TJ Udesh.
The special court directed an FIR against Mr Siddaramaiah and three others on September 27 last year, based on a petition by social activist Snehamayi Krishna as state governor Thawar Chand Gehlot gave the nod for Siddaramaiah to be investigated.
The investigation in the case covers alleged violations under the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Corruption Act, Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, and Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act.
