Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
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Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi BM by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). File photo

Karnataka HC issues notice to CM, wife on plea for CBI probe in MUDA case

The original petition was dismissed earlier, with the single judge concluding that Lokayukta's investigation did not demonstrate any bias or deficiency


The Karnataka high court on Wednesday (April 16) issued notice to chief minister Siddaramaiah, his wife and others after RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna sought a CBI investigation into the MUDA siteallotment case.

Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi BM by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Krishna’s appeal challenges a February 7 order by a single-judge bench that rejected the petitioner's plea to transfer the Lokayukta police investigation into the alleged MUDA scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Court notice to CM

A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind directed that the notice be made returnable on April 28.

"Notice to respondents returnable on April 28. Since it was stated that appeals connected to the subject matter controversy are slated to be listed on that day."

Lokayukta decision

The original petition was dismissed earlier this year, with the single judge concluding that Lokayukta's investigation did not demonstrate any bias or deficiency.

Also read: No evidence against Siddaramaiah, wife in MUDA case: Lokayukta police

"The Lokayukta/office of the Lokayukta does not suffer from questionable independence," the court held, emphasising that the institution's autonomy is protected, as recognised by both the Supreme Court and a division bench of the High Court.

It added that the evidence submitted did not justify referring the case to the CBI for further or re-investigation.

Procedural matter

During Wednesday's hearing, the division bench raised a procedural question regarding whether an appeal was maintainable against a single judge's ruling under Article 226 of the Constitution.

Senior Advocate KG Raghavan, representing the appellant, clarified that the appeal did not contest a judicial order per se but sought a writ of mandamus. "I am … not challenging an order of a court," he told the bench.

Also read: MUDA case | No clean chit to Siddaramaiah from HC, says Vijayendra

The court indicated that it would need to examine the issue of maintainability independently before proceeding further with the merits of the case.

The case

Raghavan also informed the bench that a related appeal, challenging the single judge's order upholding the governor's sanction to prosecute the respondents, was to be heard on April 28.

Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law BM Mallikarjun Swamy and Devaraju, from whom Swamy bought land and gifted it to Parvathi, and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police on September 27, 2024.

This followed an order of the Special Court that deals with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs.

Further investigation

The Lokayukta police filed a closure 'B' report stating there were no materials to justify the allegations against the chief minister, his wife, Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju in connection with the case.

But the Lokayukta police said allotment of sites on 50:50 ratio by MUDA officials caused loss to the exchequer and sought permission of the court to conduct further investigation into the acts of the officials.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
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