Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be in a dilemma. The Karnataka High Court has allowed prosecution against him. Following this, a case can be filed against Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.
Governor Thaaarchand Gehlot has approved filing a case against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA scam. Siddaramaiah had challenged this in the High Court. Siddaramaiah challenged the constitutionality of the Governor’s order on the ground that he had approved the investigation without the Governor’s approval.
However, the Karnataka High Court rejected Siddaramaiah’s contention that the matter required investigation.
What kind of MUDA scam is this? How did CM Siddaramaiah get involved in this matter? What happens next? Did you know…
Action taken on complaints from 3 activists
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has long faced accusations of the MUDA scam. But the move to prosecute the case was based on complaints from three activists.
Two activists from Bengaluru – Pradeep Kumar SP, TJ Abraham and activist Snehamoyee Krishna from Mysore filed a complaint against Siddaramaiah with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
In a separate complaint, the trio alleged that Siddaramaiah allegedly abused his authority to acquire land in the third and fourth phases of Vijayanagar layout from MUDA.
Based on this complaint, Governor Thaaarchand Gehlot approved filing of case against CM Siddaramaiah. He has ordered prosecution of the case under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Indian Civil Security Act (BNSS).
But what exactly is this MUDA scam?
When the government expropriates some land, it provides land elsewhere as compensation. The whole so-called MUDA scam has something to do with this too. The entire incident is related to the 14 prime plots given to Siddaramaiah’s wife BM Parvati as compensation. These plots are located in Mysore.
Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvati allegedly illegally seized land from MUDA. The amount of fraud allegedly amounted to Rs 40 million.
The land in question is a 3.16-acre plot in Kesaru Village. In 2005, the land was transferred to Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy Devaraj. Mallikarjuna Swamy allegedly illegally registered the land in his name in 2004 with the help of government officials and forged documents.
Is this how the whole game happens?
Mallikarjuna allegedly gifted the land to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati in 2010. However, the land was later acquired by MUDA. In exchange for this land, Parvati would be given land in another location.
In 2014, when Siddaramaiah was chief minister of Karnataka, his wife Parvati applied for compensation under MUDA’s 50:50 scheme. Under the scheme, if someone’s land is expropriated, they will be given land in another location in return. For example, if 2 acres of someone’s land is acquired, then he will get 1 acre somewhere else.
Parvati was allegedly offered land in a prime location in Mysuru by MUDA. The land is spread over 14 different locations. Siddaramaiah’s wife is said to have acquired land in an area with a higher encirclement ratio, so its value exceeds the actual land in Kesaru.
The matter came to light when a man named Manjunath Swamy wrote to the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner claiming that the land in Kesaru village was his ancestral property. Swamy claimed that his uncle Devaraj acquired the land fraudulently and later sold it to Malikajuna, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law.
What does the Karnataka High Court have to say?
In this matter, Siddaramaiah challenged it in the High Court when Thaaararchand Gehlot registered a case and allowed investigation.
Hitting out at Siddaramaiah, the high court said that under Article 163 of the Constitution, the Governor has to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers, but in exceptional cases, he can take decisions on his own and this case is similar.
Justice Nagaprasanna said it was difficult to believe that CM Siddaramaiah was not behind the MUDA land deal, which allegedly benefited his family by Rs 56 crore. The High Court also stated in its judgment that Siddaramaiah served as deputy chief minister from 1996 to 1999 and chief minister from 2013 to 2018.
The Karnataka High Court said the matter required investigation. The court said the Governor used his judgment and made the right decision. The court dismissed Siddaramaiah’s plea, registered a case under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and approved the investigation.
Now what’s next?
After setback in high court, BJP demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation. She also asked the British Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the alleged fraud case. However, Siddaramaiah refused to resign.
Addressing a press conference after the High Court verdict on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah claimed that I have done nothing wrong and false accusations have been leveled against me. So I won’t resign. I will fight this battle politically.
He accused the BJP of destabilizing the government. Siddaramaiah said he would decide on further legal action after consulting legal experts and party leaders.
Currently, Siddaramaiah has the option of approaching the Supreme Court over the matter. High Court decisions can be challenged in the Supreme Court.
