The Lokayukta police summoned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for questioning on November 6 in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case. Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati BM was questioned in this case on October 25.
Earlier on Tuesday (October 29), former MUDA commissioner DB Natesh was detained after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned him in a money laundering case related to the Mysore land scam.
During his tenure from 2020 to 2022, Natesh had allotted 14 plots to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati. However, Parvati later decided to return these plots.
According to PTI, a senior Lokayukta official said that we had asked him (Siddaramaiah) to appear on Wednesday morning. The Chief Minister is facing allegations of illegality in the allocation of 14 sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to his wife. Responding to the Lokayukta police summons, Siddaramaiah said in Haveri district that he will go.
The Chief Minister filed an appeal before a division bench of the High Court on October 24, challenging the single court’s decision regarding the MUDA site allotment case. In fact, on September 24 a bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna dismissed the Chief Minister’s plea questioning Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s approval for an inquiry against him in the case, saying there was lack of discretion somewhere in the order of the Governor. The day after the High Court order, a special court ordered a Lokayukta police inquiry against Siddaramaiah and directed that the inquiry report be submitted by December 24.
The special court dealing with criminal cases related to former and elected MLAs had issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation into the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamoyee Krishna. Meanwhile, CM’s wife Parvati had written to MUDA to cancel the 14 plots allotted to her and MUDA had accepted it.
