Karnataka court clears CM Siddaramaiah in bribery case

Bengaluru, Jan 25 (PTI) A special court to try criminal cases against against elected representatives has accepted the closure report filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police in a bribery case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The case was based on allegations made by a BJP leader, who accused Siddaramaiah of receiving Rs 1.3 crore during his previous tenure as CM in exchange for appointing a steward at the Bengaluru Turf Club (BTC).

In its ruling on January 18, the court stated, “The closure report filed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, Bengaluru, dated 12.9.2024, is hereby accepted.” The court further observed that while records indicated that “Accused No.1 Mr. Siddaramaiah had received a sum of Rs 1,30,00,000 from Accused No.2 L Vivekananda, the same cannot be held to be an act of quid pro quo towards his nomination as Steward of BTC.” Previously, the special court had instructed the Lokayukta police to reopen and investigate the case.

However, following the inquiry, the Lokayukta police filed a closure report, which has now been accepted by the court. PTI