MUDA scam case: A special court in Bengaluru today (September 25) has passed an order for investigation against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by the competent authority in Karnataka Lokyukta in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case.
Karnataka Lokayukta's Mysuru district police will investigate the MUDA scam and submit the report in three months.
The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA.
The High Court had also vacated its August 19 interim order directing the Special Court for People's Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe.
It had dismissed Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the legality of the Governor's August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
Major setback to CM Siddaramaiah
The chief minister had moved the high court on August 19 challenging the sanction granted by the governor for an investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a prime locality.
"The facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require investigation. In the teeth of the fact that the beneficiary of all these acts is not anybody outside but the family of the petitioner, the petition stands dismissed," Justice M Nagaprasanna ruled.
"Interim order of any kind subsisting today shall stand dissolved," he said.
KC Venugopal targets BJP
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said, "The Modi-Shah regime's relentless misuse of the Governor's office is a matter of immense concern for our constitutional democracy. Governors are mere titular heads and cannot interfere in day-to-day functioning of state governments, they must adhere to the letter and spirit of the Constitution."
"The Karnataka Governor is trying his best to destabilise a popular, pro-people government led by a leader who has risen from a humble background to the CM's office. Such attempts only show the BJP's instincts to control Karnataka from Delhi and it is nothing but an attempt to make Karnataka kneel before the Delhi durbar," he said.
"But ours is a strong government that will only listen to the people- not to the bullies of Delhi. Our party will fight this both legally and politically, against the Central Government's nefarious motives," he added.
Similarly, the Tamil Nadu governor has taken off his mask of neutrality and is openly speaking in the RSS voice, Venugopal said. RN Ravi should know that secularism is part of the basic tenets of the Constitution he has sworn to protect, he said.
"He should also know that no matter what his BJP-RSS masters tell him, India's rich multicultural ethos has endured through millennia and will not be destroyed no matter what the RSS tries to do. History tells us that India and its people will always reject divisive politics and embrace inclusivity," the Congress leader said.
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