Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah faces prosecution over alleged irregularities in site allocations by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has given his approval for the prosecution in connection with the MUDA land scam, following petitions by three activists: Pradeep Kumar, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has acknowledged receipt of the communication regarding the sanction of prosecution.
BJP welcomes
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has welcomed the Governor's decision. State BJP chief BY Vijayendra, in an online statement, remarked, "Enough records and evidence against the corrupt scandals of the Congress government and against the bias and corruption of the Chief Minister's relatives were kept."
Politically motivated conspiracy: Cong
In contrast, the Karnataka Congress has defended Siddaramaiah, accusing the Governor of selectively expediting actions against him while delaying probes against former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and former Karnataka ministers Sasikala Jolle and Murugesh Nirani. The party described the Governor's action as a "politically motivated conspiracy," given the speed with which he responded to what they called a "baseless private complaint."
‘Gross misuse of Constitutional Office’
Last month, the Governor issued a "show-cause notice" to Siddaramaiah, instructing him to respond within seven days to the allegations against him and explain why he should not be prosecuted. This prompted a resolution from the state cabinet, urging the Governor not to sanction the prosecution. The Siddaramaiah-led government also accused the Governor of "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office" by issuing the notice.
Petition was filed by activist TJ Abraham
The Governor's notice was a response to a petition by anti-corruption activist TJ Abraham, who sought Siddaramaiah's prosecution over alleged irregularities in the MUDA. Abraham claimed that a multi-crore scam had caused significant financial losses to the state's exchequer. In a complaint filed with the Lokayukta police in July, Abraham alleged that the allocation of 14 alternative sites in an upscale Mysuru neighborhood to Siddaramaiah's wife, BM Parvathi, was illegal and resulted in a loss of Rs 45 crore to the exchequer. The complaint named Siddaramaiah, his wife, son S Yathindra, and senior MUDA officials as being involved in the alleged scam.
Activist Snehamayi Krishna also leveled allegations against Siddaramaiah, his wife, and MUDA and administrative officials, accusing them of being involved in the land scam. However, no fresh FIR was filed, as the police indicated that an investigation was already underway.
Land was gifted to wife by her brother: Siddaramaiah
Siddaramaiah has defended his wife, claiming that the land for which she received compensation was gifted to her by her brother Mallikarjuna in 1998. Activist Krishna, however, alleged that Mallikarjuna illegally procured the land in 2004 and registered it using forged documents with the help of government and revenue officials, falsely showing it as having been purchased in 1998. Parvathi reportedly sought compensation for this land in 2014 when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister.
The BJP, which has been demanding a CBI probe into the case, organized a week-long padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru earlier this month in protest against the Congress government. In response, Siddaramaiah pointed out that his wife was awarded compensation when the BJP was in power and that it was her rightful claim. He questioned the BJP's stance, saying, "They are the ones who gave the site; now if they call it illegal, how should one respond?"
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