The Karnataka high court on Wednesday issued notices to chief minister Siddaramiah, his wife BM Parvathy and others accused in the alleged irregularities in Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment, over a petition challenging a single judge’s order that refused to transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A bench of chief justice NV Anjaria and KV Aravind directed the chief minister and others to respond to the notices by April 28 this year. The bench was hearing the appeal filed by activist and the original complainant in the Muda case, Snehamayi Krishna. He approached the division bench after single judge, justice M Nagaprasanna, refused to transfer the ongoing probe into the case by the Karnataka Lokayukta to CBI.
On February 7 this year, justice Nagaprasanna rejected Krishna’s plea seeking the CBI probe after holding that the Lokayukta did not suffer from any questionable independence and that there existed no material on record to show its probe was biased.
However, the division bench led by chief justice Anjaria initially asked if the single judge’s order can be challenged through the present appeal under Article 226 of the Constitution.
Senior counsel KG Raghavan, who appears for Krishna, told the court however, that the appeal did not contest the judicial order per se, but sought a writ of mandamus. “The question of referring the matter to CBI would not arise if this court allows the appeal challenging the single judge order upholding the Governor’s sanction to prosecute,” he submitted.
{{/usCountry}}Senior counsel KG Raghavan, who appears for Krishna, told the court however, that the appeal did not contest the judicial order per se, but sought a writ of mandamus. “The question of referring the matter to CBI would not arise if this court allows the appeal challenging the single judge order upholding the Governor’s sanction to prosecute,” he submitted.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, the court said it will first need to examine the issue of maintainability of Krishna’s appeal before hearing it on merits. The alleged land allotment case pertains to allegations of corruption in the grant of land by the Muda to Siddaramaiah’s wife. As per the complaint, Parvathy’s brother gifted her a plot of land that was illegally developed by Muda and when she raised a complaint and sought compensation, she was given highly inflated compensation by the state, including 14 developed alternate plots of land that were much higher in value than the original three acres.
On July 26 last year, governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot granted sanction to prosecute Siddaramiah in the case. Siddaramaiah challenged such grant of sanction but, on September 24, 2024, justice Nagaprasanna rejected the CM’s plea. The Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR naming Siddaramaiah, Parvathy, and two others as accused in the case.