MUDA case: Ex-Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde says CM Siddaramaiah should resign

Santosh Hegde dismissed the CM's claim that he has not committed anything wrong, and said the HC has found that prima facie there was evidence of wrongdoing.

Published on: Sep 25, 2024, 19:45:14 IST

PTIPosted by Yamini C S

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Weighing in on the MUDA site allotment case, Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde on Wednesday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should resign in view of the serious allegations against him.

He also dismissed the CM's claim that he has not committed anything wrong, and said the High Court has found that prima facie there was evidence of wrongdoing.

“It is up to him (Siddaramaiah) to decide whether to resign or not but when there is such a serious allegation I feel that in public view point, he should resign though there is nothing wrong in not giving resignation as per law,” Hegde told reporters here.

The retired Supreme Court judge further said, “The sanction to investigate the Chief Minister was granted in MUDA case where the High Court has said that prima facie there is evidence. Against this backdrop, I feel that he should resign. Rest is left to him.”

Recalling the former PM and late Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning in 1956 as the Railway Minister following a train accident in South India, the former Karnataka ombudsman said, "That tendency (Shastri) is not there now.”

His comments come a day after the Karnataka HC upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA.

The HC had also vacated its August 19 interim order directing the Special Court for People's Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe. It had also dismissed Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the legality of the Governor's August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More