Karnataka, CM will face charges in a land scam case

Based of petitions submitted by three activists, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has approved Siddaramaiah’s prosecution in the MUDA land fraud case.

Bengaluru: Siddaramaiah, the senior Congress politician and chief minister of Karnataka, may face legal action for the Mysuru Urban Development Authority’s (MUDA) suspected anomalies in site allocations. Following petitions from three activists, Pradeep Kumar, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved his prosecution in the MUDA land fraud case.

“As directed by the Governor, I am enclosing herewith the copy of the decision of the Competent Authority on the request of sanction for prosecution against the Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah, under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences mention in the petitions,” stated a letter sent by the Governor’s Secretariat to supporters.

The receipt of this letter has been confirmed by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The Governor’s decision to charge Siddaramaiah has been applauded by the BJP. “By keeping enough records and evidences against the corrupt scandals of the Congress government and against the bias and corruption of the Chief Minister’s relatives, Siddaramaiah has demonstrated that there is no one to shake him,” BY Vijayendra, the state BJP head, wrote in message.

In support of him, the Karnataka Congress claimed that the Governor has been dragging out investigations into former Karnataka ministers Murugesh Nirani and Sasikala Jolle as well as former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. “But the fact that the Governor acted with alarming speed only on a baseless private complaint against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be a politically motivated conspiracy,” stated the statement.

The Chief Minister was given a “show-cause notice” by the Governor last month, which required him to respond to the accusations against him and provide justification for not being charged.

This led to a state cabinet motion requesting that the governor refrain from approving the prosecution. In addition, the administration led by Siddaramaiah had asked him to revoke the notice and accused the governor of “gross misuse of the Constitutional Office”.

The anti-corruption campaigner TJ Abraham filed a petition to prosecute Siddaramaiah for purported anomalies in the MUDA, which resulted in the governor’s notice. He claimed in his appeal that the state’s coffers suffered enormous losses as a result of the multi-crore swindle.

Mr. Abraham said in a July complaint to the Lokayukta police that Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi, was illegally given 14 other properties in a posh Mysuru suburb, costing the exchequer ₹ 45 crore.

Senior MUDA officials, Siddaramaiah’s wife, son S Yathindra, and others were named in the case.

Snehamayi Krishna, an activist, also claimed that MUDA, administrative officials, and Siddaramaiah’s wife were involved in the purported land fraud. Since the police claimed that an inquiry into the matter was already ongoing, no new FIR was filed.

In 1998, Siddaramiah said that his wife’s brother Mallikarjuna had given her the land for which she was paid. However, activist Krishna said that Mallikarjuna had obtained it unlawfully in 2004 and, with the assistance of government and revenue authorities, had used fraudulent paperwork to have it registered. It was indicated that the land was purchased in 1998. In 2014, Ms. Parvathi requested payment for this land during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as Chief Minister.

Senior MUDA officials, Siddaramaiah’s wife, son S Yathindra, and others were named in the case.

Snehamayi Krishna, an activist, also claimed that MUDA, administrative officials, and Siddaramaiah’s wife were involved in the purported land fraud. Since the police claimed that an inquiry into the matter was already ongoing, no new FIR was filed.

a CBI inquiry into the issue.

Siddaramaiah responded to the BJP onslaught by stating that his wife was entitled to compensation and that it was given to her under the BJP’s rule. “They (BJP) are the ones who gave the site, now if they call it illegal, how should one respond?” he had inquired.

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