MUDA 'scam' | Lokayukta police register FIR against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Lokayukta police in Mysuru on Friday (September 27) registered an FIR against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case, following the court order, official sources said.

A Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah in the case, setting the stage for filing an FIR against him.

The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife BM Parvathi by MUDA.

Also read: MUDA case: No question of resigning, I've done no wrong, says Siddaramaiah

Probe report by Dec 24

The Special Court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.

The Court issued directions to take up the probe under section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (that gives a magistrate the power to order an investigation into a cognisable offense.) and file the investigation report by December 24.

"Acting under Sec.156(3) of Code of Criminal Procedure, the jurisdictional police i.e., Superintendent of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, Mysuru is hereby directed to register the case, investigate and to file a report as contemplated under Sec.173 of Cr.P.C., within a period 3 months from today.." the court had said.

CM’s brother-in-law also named

It had listed offences punishable under Section 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), 166 (Public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person), 403 (Dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 426 (Punishment for mischief), 465 (Punishment for forgery) , 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 340 (Wrongful confinement), 351 (Assault) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Also read: MUDA ‘scam’: Siddaramaiah set to face Lokayukta police probe, says he has ‘no fear’

The court had also listed offences punishable under sections 9 and 13 the Prevention Of Corruption Act, 1988 and under Sec.3, 53 and 54 of the Prohibition Of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 and 3, 4 of Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2011.

Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju (from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi) and others are named in the FIR, official sources said.

(With agency inputs)