Bengaluru: Trouble is mounting for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case with a special court on Wednesday ordering an investigation by the Lokayukta against him into the allegations.
The order from Special Court Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat was issued a day after the high court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to probe Siddaramaiah over allegations of irregularities in the allocation of 14 sites to his wife, BM Parvathi by the MUDA.
The special court, designated to handle criminal cases involving former and elected MPs/MLAs, directed the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation based on a complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.
The court also directed that the investigation be launched under CrPC’s section 156 (3) (which empowers the magistrate to order an investigation into a cognisable offence). It further ordered the police to file a probe report by December 24.
The High Court also lifted its interim order from August 19 that had instructed the Special Court to postpone decisions regarding complaints against the Chief Minister, thereby allowing a probe to proceed.
Additionally, the court dismissed Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the legality of the Governor’s August 16 order, which approved an investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
What is the MUDA case against Siddaramaiah?
In the case regarding the MUDA site allotment, it is alleged that Siddaramaiah’s wife received compensatory sites in a high-value area of Mysuru, which had a greater property value than the location of her land that was “acquired” by the authority.
The plots were allotted to the chief minister’s wife under a 50:50 ratio scheme, providing her with 50 per cent of the developed land in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, which was used to develop a residential layout. However, it is alleged that Parvathi did not have legal title to this 3.16 acres of land located at survey number 464 in Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.
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