Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday appeared before the Lokayukta police in response to the summons issued to him for questioning in the MUDA site allotment case. They had on October 25 questioned his wife, who has been named as accused number 2. The CM, who has been named as accused number 1 in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police, is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court had on Tuesday issued notice to Siddaramaiah and others on a writ petition filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, seeking a direction to transfer the case to CBI. Justice M Nagaprasanna, who also issued notice to Parvathi, Swamy, Union of India, the State government, CBI, Lokayukta and others, directed the Lokayukta to place on record investigation conducted in the case so far. The court posted the next hearing to November 26.
What is the case?
On September 30, the ED filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book the CM and others taking cognisance of the Lokayukta FIR, and is also probing the case.
In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru (Vijayanagar Layout 3rd and 4th stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout. Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts. It is alleged Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village on the outskirts of Mysuru.
Following the High Court order, a Special Court had ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah, and directed to file the investigation report by December 24. Parvathi, meanwhile, had written to MUDA to cancel 14 sites allotted to her and the MUDA had accepted it.
Congress lends support
On CM Siddaramaiah's deposition before Lokayukta Police, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said, "Why should the CM resign? State BJP president has an ED case against him. ECR has been registered. Has he resigned? It is a very serious offence...This is politically motivated, everybody knows it...CM has said clearly that this is politically motivated, he is a law-abiding citizen and he will do whatever the Constitutional institutions have asked him to do. He is sure that he is going to come out of this."
