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MUDA case: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to move HC over Guv nod for prosecution
The plan comes as the Congress party ramped up its campaign against the opposition BJP, accusing it of using the Governor’s office for political vendetta.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah will move the High Court on Monday against the governor’s decision to grant permission to prosecute him over alleged irregularities in a site allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), people aware of the matter said.
The plan comes as the Congress party ramped up its campaign against the opposition BJP, accusing it of using the Governor’s office for political vendetta.
A senior legal advisor to the chief minister, speaking anonymously, said the government intends to seek a quashing of the governor’s order. “We are not sure under what circumstances the Governor has given the order. He was a senior statesman who should have known that his orders wouldn’t stand the scrutiny of the law. We will present our case before the court and get the order squashed,” the advisor stated.
In response to the escalating situation, Siddaramaiah convened a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on August 22 at the Vidhana Soudha conference hall. Karnataka Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, Priyank Kharge, said that the a need to brief party members on the developments, saying, “Since there is a huge uproar about the governor’s role, we need to apprise our people. Ultimately, they are public representatives; 136 MLAs need to know what is happening.”
Similarly, he will visit New Delhi on Tuesday to brief the party’s central leadership, said a party leader, asking not to be named.
The controversy centres on allegations that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, was in 2021 improperly allotted compensatory sites in an upscale Mysuru locality under a 50:50 ratio scheme. Critics claim that the property value of the allotted land was significantly higher than that of the land MUDA acquired from her. BJP leaders have suggested that the alleged scam could be worth between ₹4,000 crore and ₹5,000 crore.
The party has attacked the governor’s move, citing protocol that requires consent for prosecution in corruption cases against a CM to be first sought by the state police chief before it can be granted.
In light of the Governor’s sanction, deputy chief minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar announced state-wide protest rallies scheduled for August 19. “The protest rallies will be held in all district headquarters across the State. All party leaders and workers will participate in the protest,” Shivakumar said.
Shivakumar denounced the governor’s decision, describing it as a politically motivated attempt by the BJP to destabilise the Congress-led government in Karnataka. “This is a murder of democracy, and we will protest it. We have instructed our party leaders to carry out peaceful protests and ensure that anti-social elements don’t infiltrate the rallies and create trouble,” he said.
The Congress government had set up a single-member inquiry commission led by former High Court judge Justice PN Desai on July 14 to investigate the allegations. Siddaramaiah has maintained his innocence, denying any wrongdoing and asserting that the allegations are baseless.
TJ Abraham, one of the complainants in the MUDA controversy, announced his plan to approach the special court for public representatives on August 21. “We will submit this permission before the special court, requesting the judge to take cognizance of it or refer it under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC),” Abraham said.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, reiterated the BJP’s demand for a thorough investigation and called for Siddaramaiah’s resignation. Addressing reporters, Ashoka said that the BJP’s objective is not to target individuals but to expose illegal activities and ensure that justice is served.
“The truth needs to be known. There are 86,000 people waiting for land allotment in Mysuru city. They will get justice through this investigation,” Ashoka stated, underscoring the importance of transparency in the land allotment process.
Ashoka refuted Congress’s contention that the BJP is attempting to destabilise the Congress-led government. “If Congress party legislators defect, we are not responsible for that,” he asserted.
Ashoka also criticised Siddaramaiah for failing to address the allegations in the assembly, stating, “CM Siddaramaiah has been unable to provide clarity on the MUDA scam. He should have addressed the confusion among the people by taking a stance in the Assembly. By avoiding this, it has become clear to everyone that there is something amiss.”
