Karnataka governor gives nod to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in land scam

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has approved Siddaramaiah's prosecution in the MUDA land scam case, following petitions submitted by three activists

Karnataka governor Thawarchand Gehlot has given his nod to prosecute chief minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam case.

The prosecution sanction came following petitions from three activists Pradeep Kumar, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna in the MUDA land scam.

According to a NDTV report, a letter from the Governor's Secretariat to the activists stated, “As directed by the Governor, I am enclosing herewith the copy of the decision of the Competent Authority on the request of sanction for prosecution against the Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah, under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023 for the commission of the alleged offences mention in the petitions.”

The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has acknowledged receipt of the communication in question.

Siddaramaiah has dismissed the allegations as “politically motivated”.

Last month, the Governor issued a show-cause notice to the chief minister, instructing him to respond to the charges within seven days and explain why he should not face prosecution.

In response, the state cabinet passed a resolution urging the governor not to approve the prosecution. The Siddaramaiah-led administration also requested the Governor to withdraw the notice, accusing him of “gross misuse of the Constitutional Office”.

The notice from the Governor came after anti-corruption activist TJ Abraham filed a petition seeking prosecution of Siddaramaiah over alleged discrepancies in the MUDA. Abraham claimed that the multi-crore scandal resulted in significant financial losses for the state.

Abraham’s July complaint to the Lokayukta police alleged that the allocation of 14 alternative sites in a high-end Mysuru neighborhood to Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi, was illegal, causing 45 crore loss to the exchequer.

The complaint named Siddaramaiah, his wife, their son S Yathindra, and senior MUDA officials.

Another activist, Snehamayi Krishna, has also alleged that Siddaramaiah, his wife, and officials from MUDA and the administration were involved in the purported land scam.

Siddaramaiah contended that the land for which his wife received compensation was a gift from her brother Mallikarjuna in 1998. However, Krishna alleged that Mallikarjuna had acquired the land illegally in 2004 and registered it using forged documents with the assistance of government and revenue officials, while the land was recorded as purchased in 1998.

Parvathi sought compensation for the land in 2014, during Siddaramaiah's tenure as chief minister.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling for a CBI investigation, conducted a weeklong padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru earlier this month in protest against the Congress government.

In response to the BJP's criticism, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the compensation was awarded when the BJP was in power and defended the legitimacy of the site allocation.

(With agency inputs)