The pressure on chief minister Siddaramaiah mounted with activist Snehamayi Krishna, the primary complainant in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, filing a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking a probe by the agency. The complaint, along with a concurrent Lokayukta investigation, places Siddaramaiah in a challenging position as four Lokayukta teams will begin fieldwork on Monday, officials aware of the matter said.
Responding to the ED complaint filed by Krishna, Siddaramaiah said, “Let him lodge a complaint. Since the MUDA case is with Lokayukta, I wouldn’t want to comment much about it. I don’t know who is Snehamayi Krishna. I have never met him. I do not know what cases are pending against him.”
Krishna, in his complaint addressed to the ED’s Bengaluru office, has called for an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that Siddaramaiah misused his powers to allot 14 plots of land to his wife, Parvathi. The activist argued that these illegal allotments were facilitated by MUDA and demanded a thorough probe into the financial transactions involved.
“I have approached ED asking them to investigate the financial transactions in the MUDA case,” Krishna said, adding that the Lokayukta probe could be influenced by Siddaramaiah’s position of power.
Krishna has approached the Karnataka high court, seeking to transfer the MUDA scam investigation from the Lokayukta to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He cited concerns that Siddaramaiah’s influential position as the CM could compromise the fairness of the inquiry. Krishna said that he believed only a CBI-led investigation would ensure impartiality, given the CM’s control over state departments, including those involved in the case.
{{/usCountry}}Krishna has approached the Karnataka high court, seeking to transfer the MUDA scam investigation from the Lokayukta to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He cited concerns that Siddaramaiah’s influential position as the CM could compromise the fairness of the inquiry. Krishna said that he believed only a CBI-led investigation would ensure impartiality, given the CM’s control over state departments, including those involved in the case.
{{/usCountry}}Krishna’s move came at a time when the Lokayukta police is preparing to expand their investigation into the scandal. Led by Lokayukta SP Udesh, four teams have been formed to conduct fieldwork from Monday. The development followed the filing of a first information report (FIR) against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, and others.
In Krishna’s writ petition, he drew attention to the Supreme Court ruling in Mitalesh Kumar Singh vs. the Government of Rajasthan, which led to a CBI probe into the case to preserve fairness.
He argued that a similar situation existed in Karnataka, where Siddaramaiah’s role as the CM could impact the outcome of the inquiry.
Meanwhile, former CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai has called for Siddaramaiah’s resignation to ensure a free and fair investigation. “To have a fair inquiry... Lokayukta should be given a free hand by the present government, for which the CM should resign from his post,” Bommai said.