Bengaluru The Lokayukta Police has given clean chit to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and his wife in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) land allocation case citing “want of evidence”, recommending to a local court that the case be cancelled because there are no grounds to file a charge sheet or proceed with a trial.
The report is expected to be submitted to a city court on Thursday, officials aware of the matter said. HT reported on January 23 that the Lokayukta was set to clear the chief minister and his wife Parvathi of all charges in the case.
As part of the procedure, the petitioner in the case, activist Snehamayi Krishna, was issued a notice on Wednesday informing him of the decision to close the case. A copy of the letter, seen by HT, states that the Karnataka Lokayukta Police concluded that allegations against all the accused (A1 to A4) could not be substantiated due to a lack of supporting evidence. “The case has been categorised as civil in nature, and no criminal investigation is warranted,” the letter said.
The FIR, registered under case number 11/2024, listed Siddaramaiah as the first accused (A1), his wife BN Parvathi as the second accused (A2), his relative Mallikarjuna Swamy as the third accused (A3) and one of the original landowners D Devaraju involved in the transaction as the fourth accused (A4)
{{/usCountry}}The FIR, registered under case number 11/2024, listed Siddaramaiah as the first accused (A1), his wife BN Parvathi as the second accused (A2), his relative Mallikarjuna Swamy as the third accused (A3) and one of the original landowners D Devaraju involved in the transaction as the fourth accused (A4)
{{/usCountry}}The letter to Krishna noted that the allegations stemmed from either misinterpretation of the law or lacked substantial proof to proceed with legal action. “If you wish to contest the findings, you may file an objection before the designated magistrate within one week of receiving this notice,” it added.
Despite recommending closure of the case, the Lokayukta Police indicated in the letter to Krishna that further inquiries would be conducted regarding compensatory sites allocated in a 50:50 ratio by Muda between 2016 and 2024.
“Since the allegations against Accused 1 to Accused 4 could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence, the final report has been submitted to the Hon’ble Court. However, an additional investigation will be conducted regarding the allegations of compensatory site allocations by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) in a 50:50 ratio between 2016 and 2024. Based on this, a supplementary final report will be submitted to the Hon’ble Court under Section 173(8) of the Criminal Procedure Code,” the letter said.
The case revolves around a three-acre plot in Mysuru’s Devanur 3rd Stage, which Siddaramaiah claims was gifted to his wife Parvathi in 1998. In 2014, Muda acquired the land for development without obtaining permission, prompting Parvathi to apply for compensation. As a result, she was allocated 14 residential plots, totaling 38,284 square feet in some prime locations with a valuation exceeding ₹8 crore — raising concerns that the value was disproportionate as compared to the original land. The petitioner, Krishna, alleged that the exchange unfairly benefited the family.
In September 2024, the Karnataka high court allowed a Lokayukta investigation into the land allotment. On November 5 last year, the court directed the Lokayukta Police to submit a status report following Krishna’s petition, which sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
On February 7, the Karnataka high court declined to transfer the investigation into the alleged irregularities in Muda’s allotment involving Parvathi to the federal agency, ruling that the case would remain under the purview of the Lokayukta Police.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, while dismissing the petition seeking a CBI probe, observed that there was no evidence to suggest that the ongoing investigation was biased or compromised. “The material on record nowhere indicates that the investigation conducted by the Lokayukta is partisan, lopsided, or shoddy for this court to refer the matter to the CBI for further investigation or reinvestigation. The petition would necessarily meet its dismissal and is accordingly dismissed,” his order stated at the time.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders slammed the Lokayukta’s findings. BJP leader Ashok ridiculed the decision, saying, “The report is not a clean chit but a whitewash.”
He also questioned the need for expensive legal representation if there was no wrongdoing. “Why hire top lawyers? They could have fought the case with a village lawyer. This is a cover-up. The police officer needs a transfer and promotion, and this is what they have done,” he alleged, demanding a CBI probe into the matter.
HT tried reaching out to the Congress leaders for their response but was yet to get a comment till the time of going to print.