K’taka HC Adjourns Hearing On CM Siddaramaiah’s Petition In MUDA Case

The Karnataka High Court has postponed the hearing of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s plea challenging a previous order that upheld the Governor’s approval for an investigation into the alleged MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) scam.

The hearing is now set for January 20.

Siddaramaiah had filed an appeal against a decision made by a single bench of the High Court on September 23. The court had rejected his challenge to the Governor’s sanction, which allowed the investigation into alleged illegal land allotments to his wife by MUDA.

Justice Nagaprasanna, who passed the ruling, stated that the Governor’s decision did not exhibit any errors in judgment.

In his petition, Siddaramaiah questioned the legitimacy of the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, which enabled an investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and allowed prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The Governor given this sanction on August 17, following applications from social activists Pradeep Kumar SP and TJ Abraham, both from Bengaluru, and Snehamayi Krishna from Mysuru.

The allegations suggest that MUDA illegally allotted 14 plots to Siddaramaiah’s wife in a prime location in Mysuru. Following a court directive issued on September 27, the Mysuru Lokayukta began investigating the matter and filing an FIR.

On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah expressed his concerns over a recent letter sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Lokayukta just before his petition was set to be heard in the High Court. He criticized the move, claiming that it appeared to be an attempt to influence the judicial process. “Just a day before our petition is set to be heard in the High Court, the Enforcement Directorate writes to the Lokayukta, which seems intended to sway the judiciary.

The ED’s investigation itself raises doubts. A proper course of action would have been to submit the findings to the Lokayukta after completing the investigation, rather than leaking it to the media and attempting to create bias,” Siddaramaiah posted on X.

In addition to the ongoing investigation, the ED has initiated a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah and others based on the FIR filed by the Lokayukta in connection with the MUDA scandal, complicating the situation for the Karnataka CM.

Despite mounting pressure and the escalating controversy, Siddaramaiah has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the charges are politically motivated. He has refused to step down, despite calls for his resignation from the opposition party, the BJP.