The Karnataka Anti-Corruption Agency on Friday filed a case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for alleged fraud related to land allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The case comes two days after a special court here ordered the Lokayukta police to investigate Siddaramaiah over allegations that his wife was allotted prime property by MUDA in violation of norms.
Siddaramaiah was named as the first accused in the FIR, followed by his wife Parvati, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and alleged land owner Devraj. The Mysore Development Authority acquired a piece of land owned by Parvathy and compensated her with a high-value plot, the complaint said. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition and some activists have accused Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvati of profiting from illegal compensation land deals, with the alleged irregularities estimated to be worth Rs 4,000 crore.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed a major blow from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s plea challenging the validity of the governor’s approval to investigate him in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam. Siddaramaiah has challenged Governor Thaaarchand Gehlot’s approval of investigation against him under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Civil Defense Act of India. The governor approved the inquiry after a petition was filed by three activists, who alleged irregularities in MUDA’s allotment of 14 plots to Siddaramaiah’s wife in a prime location.
What is a MUDA case?
Mysore Urban Development Authority is referred to as MUDA. The agency is an autonomous body for development projects in Mysuru City. The acquisition and distribution of land is the responsibility of the authorities. This matter was a land fraud case, so MUDA’s name was associated with it from the beginning (2004). The case relates to the allocation of land by MUDA as compensation to Siddaramaiah during his tenure as chief minister. Activists claimed there were irregularities in the process. This resulted in a loss of crores of rupees to the government exchequer. Names of senior officials of MUDA and the Revenue Department have also come to light in the case.
In 1992, the Mysore Urban Development Authority acquired some land from farmers and developed it into residential areas. In the process it was separated from agricultural land, but in 1998 MUDA returned part of the acquired land to farmers. Just like that, the land became farmland again. So far, so good. Now, the dispute started in 2004, during which BM Mallikarjuna, brother of Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati, purchased 3.16 acres of land in the same land in 2004. During this period, in 2004-05, there was a Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, with Siddaramaiah serving as the then deputy CM. During this period, it was discovered that the land was again separated from agricultural land, but by the time the Siddaramaiah family arrived and took ownership of the land, the layout had already been developed.
