NEW DELHI, Oct 1: Within hours of receiving the request from the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s wife BN Parvathi offering to surrender the 14 land plots, which have been at the centre of a massive row and an alleged scam, the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) initiated the necessary move to take back the land allotted to her.
The MUDA Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan was handed over the letter by Ms Parvathi’s son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Tuesday morning and he immediately wrote to the Sub Registrar to cancel the sale deeds of the sites given up voluntarily by her. Mr Raghunandan later told reporters that there was provision in the rules for the Authority to take back the allotted sites “without delay” if surrendered voluntarily.
Ms Parvathi had written to MUDA and offered to return the plots, stating that she was following her conscience. The 14 plots of land were allotted to her in 2021 in Vijayanagar Phase 3 and 4, which are prime areas in Mysuru, as compensation for the use of 3.16 acres of land in Kesare village near the city. An anti-corruption activist had complained that this had caused a loss of ₹ 45 crore to the state.
The Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate have registered cases against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged scam. Mr Raghunandan said on Tuesday, “According to the provisions of law, we can take back the plots of land. We discussed this with a panel of advocates. We took a decision to take the land back and we have instructed them to cancel the sale deed too.”
“This has no link with the investigation. We will inform the investigators if there is a probability to allot this to someone else. There are provisions in the law. We will inform the Lokayukta and other investigating officers,” he added. In her letter to the authority, Ms Parvathi said she wanted to return the plots earlier but was advised not to do so because the charges against her husband in the MUDA case were politically motivated.
“My husband, Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of the state, has upheld a strict code of ethics throughout his 40-year political career, remaining entirely free from any kind of blemish… To me, no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband’s honour, dignity, and peace of mind. After all these years in power, I have never sought any personal gain for myself or my family,” she wrote.
Earlier on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said his wife’s decision to return the land – which he has maintained was gifted to her by her brother and encroached by MUDA – was her own. “When I have done no wrong, why should I resign? The land was de-notified by senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, not by me. My legal team will fight this,” he said.
The BJP, however, claimed the idea had come from the chief minister. “I don’t think this is a decision by Siddaramaiah’s wife. It is a decision by him… this is like him admitting his mistake. But what has changed overnight?” asked BY Vijayendra, who is the Karnataka BJP chief and son of BS Yediyurappa.
The MUDA Commissioner’s order authorising MUDA Secretary Prasanna Kumar to take necessary steps for cancellation of the sale deeds of all the 14 sites has been handed over to the Sub Registrar. “Now, the sites, which stand in the name of Ms Parvathi, will be transferred back to MUDA. This will be financially beneficial to the MUDA too,” said Mr Raghunandan.
The decision taken by MUDA will be communicated to Lokayukta Police and the Justice Desai Commission constituted by the State government to probe in the alleged irregularities in MUDA as well as the State government, he said.
Meanwhile, MUDA Secretary Prasanna Kumar said he personally took the MUDA Commissioner’s order on cancellation of the sale deeds to the Sub Registrar’s office to start the process. Even though the owner of the sites was not present, the Sub Registrar informed the MUDA official there was a provision to cancel the sale deeds through “private attendance.” Mr Kumar said the process of cancellation of the sale deeds had begun with the Sub Registrar proceeding for the “private attendance.”
Earlier in the day, the Lokayukta Police, which conducted a spot inspection of the land gifted to Ms Parvathi by her brother Mallikarjuna Swamy in Survey number 464 in Kesare on the outskirts of Mysuru, had requested MUDA to spare the services of Special Land Acquisition Officer, Town Planning members and surveyors during the exercise.
(Manas Dasgupta)