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Karnataka HC adjourns plea seeking CBI probe into MUDA case
Karnataka HC adjourns CBI inquiry plea on MUDA land scam involving CM Siddaramaiah's family to Dec 10, amid allegations of misconduct in investigations.
The Karnataka high court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam, which is currently being investigated by the Lokayukta police. The case has garnered attention over allegations that chief minister Siddaramaiah and his family unlawfully benefited from the scheme.
The court has adjourned the case till December 10.
The adjournment was made after senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing petitioner J Devaraju, requested time due to two related appeals pending before a division bench. One appeal contests a high court order allowing an investigation into land allotted to Siddaramaiah’s wife. The other seeks to overturn a directive requiring the Lokayukta police to provide a status report on their inquiry.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, heading the bench, noted that the division bench will address the appeals on December 5. “The learned counsel submits that if the division bench has fixed its date for December 5, 2024, and therefore seeks adjournment to a date after December 5, 2024… List this matter on December 10, 2024. The understanding is that it will be heard on the said date,” the court said.
The controversy pertains to the 50:50 land exchange scheme introduced during the tenure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2019 to 2023. In 2010, 3.16 acres of land on Mysuru’s outskirts, gifted to Siddaramaiah’s wife by her brother Devaraju, was exchanged for 14 housing plots in a prime locality. Critics alleged that Siddaramaiah’s family gained an undue advantage through this arrangement.
In September, the high court allowed an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the allotment of these plots. On November 5, the court directed the Lokayukta police to submit a status report following a petition filed by activist Snehamayi Krishna, who has been advocating for a CBI probe.
The controversy revolves around land acquisition and compensation in Mysuru’s Devanur 3rd Stage layout. The disputed land is a three-acre, 16-gunta plot, which Siddaramaiah claims was gifted to his wife Parvathi by her brother, Mallikarjuna, in 1998.
In 2014, during Siddaramaiah’s term as chief minister, Parvathi applied for compensation for the land after the MUDA took over the land for development without their permission. MUDA compensated her with 38,284 square feet of residential plots in the prime Vijayanagar 3rd and 4th stage layouts. Questions have since been raised about the discrepancy in value between the original land and the high-value residential plots in Vijayanagar. The 14 plots given to Parvathi were valued at over ₹8 crore, while the original land was reportedly worth ₹3.5 crore based on the official guidance value, the complaint said.
Speaking to reporters a day before the hearing, Krishna accused Lokayukta officers of shielding the accused. “Some key documents related to the case have been destroyed or concealed, undermining the investigation,” he said. “A search warrant was issued to conduct raids on the MUDA office on June 28, but the Lokayukta still has not conducted the checks,” he said.
He further said that Lokayukta officers were influenced by Congress ministers and demanded their removal from the case. “I am confident that the high court, which is looking into my petition seeking a CBI probe into the MUDA scam, will consider the demand,” Krishna said.
The MUDA land exchange scheme, which has since been scrapped by the Congress government, has faced criticism for allegedly benefiting Siddaramaiah’s family and political allies. It is alleged that thousands of sites were reportedly allotted to the chief minister’s supporters and other politicians under the scheme.
While the Lokayukta initiated an investigation following a special court’s directive, Krishna alleged that the probe was prematurely halted. “The Lokayukta officers are cooperating with the accused,” Krishna said. He called for their removal from the ongoing investigation to ensure fairness.
