MUDA case | No clean chit to Siddaramaiah from HC, says Vijayendra
Bengaluru, Feb 7 (PTI) Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Friday said that the High Court, by dismissing a petition seeking a direction to transfer the investigation into the MUDA site allotment case to the CBI, has not declared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as innocent, and that the allegations against him in the case still holds good.
Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
"The High Court has only rejected a petition seeking a CBI probe in the MUDA case, it has not said that the chief minister is innocent. The court has not cleared the CM from the allegations made against him," Vijayendra said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, this verdict is in no way a setback for the BJP in its fight. "Both Lokayukta and ED probe is on. Let's wait and see what happens." The HC has not given a clean chit to the chief minister and his family. The allegations against the CM hold good even today, Vijayendra said.
"Lokayuta probe is on. Once the probe report comes, we will react on the investigation's truthfulness," he added.
In a relief to Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna seeking a direction to transfer investigation into the MUDA site allotment case to the CBI.
In his petition, Krishna had contended that an impartial investigation is not possible since Siddaramaiah, being the chief minister, wields immense power and influence over the state departments, especially the state investigating agencies such as the police authorities and the Karnataka Lokayukta police.
Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law B M Mallikarjun Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police establishment, located in Mysuru on September 27, following the order of the Special Court that exclusively deals with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs.
Reacting to the High Court verdict in a POCSO case involving his father and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, Vijayendra said, the HC has set aside the summons issued by a lower court against Yediyurappa in the POCSO case after hearing the arguments.
"Based on our petition, the High Court by setting aside the lower court's summons, in a way has asked it to review the case," he added.
The High Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to Yediyurappa, while remitting the case registered against him back to the trial court. The court partly allowed the petition filed by Yediyurappa challenging the proceedings against him under the provisions of POCSO Act.
The 81-year-old Yediyurappa had sought for quashing of a criminal case filed against him, in which he has been booked under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The case was registered on March 14 last year based on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old girl who alleged Yediyurappa sexually assaulted her daughter during a meeting on February 2, at his residence in Dollars Colony here. PTI