Blow to Siddaramaiah as Karnataka court allows further probe into Muda case

The Lokayukta police report gave a clean chit to Siddaramaiah, stating that the charges against the CM and his wife, Parvathi, could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence

A special court in Karnataka on Tuesday granted the Lokayukta permission to continue an investigation into the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reported news agency PTI. The court's grant of permission to continue the investigation came after a request made by the Lokayukta police.

 

Presiding Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat deferred his order on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate against the B Report filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police. The court said a decision on the B Report would be taken only after the Lokayukta police submitted a complete investigation report. 

 

An earlier Lokayukta police 'B' report had given a clean chit to Siddaramaiah and three others, stating that the charges against the CM and his wife, Parvathi, could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence. However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the complainant, activist Snehamaayi Krishna, have filed objections challenging the report and demanded a deeper probe. The court observed that an investigation should be conducted considering all the people involved and a comprehensive report should be filed, reported PTI.

 

What is the Muda case?

The case revolves around allegations that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, received inflated compensation for land in Mysuru. The land, originally acquired and later de-notified, was bought by her brother, Mallikarjuna Swamy, who then 'gifted' it to her. The land was allegedly developed by Muda, despite being privately owned.

 

Parvathi later sought compensation from Muda, which allegedly awarded her 14 developed plots under a 50:50 scheme—significantly more valuable than the original three-acre land parcel.

 

Earlier this year, ED said that it has attached more than 140 units of immovable assets worth about Rs 300 crore in a Muda-linked money laundering case.