Siddaramaiah Gets Relief From High Court In MUDA 'Scam' Case, Next Hearing On August 29 | Updates

The Karnataka high court said that no proceedings shall be conducted before the special court against Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged Muda scam until his plea against the state governor is heard.

According to legal news website Livelaw, the Karnataka high court said: “Since matter is heard by this court and pleadings are to be completed till the next date of hearing the concerned court should defer its proceedings”.

The Karnataka High Court on Monday heard Siddaramaiah’s writ petition, challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision to sanction his prosecution in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.

“I am pleased that the Hon’ble High Court heard the matter and passed interim orders directing the concerned court to defer the proceedings and further instructing that no precipitative action be taken pursuant to the impugned sanction,” Siddaramaiah said in a post on social media site X.

“I am grateful to the Hon’ble High Court and remain confident that ultimately, the truth will prevail,” he further added.

Earlier, the Karnataka governor filed a plea challenging governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s order to prosecute him in the alleged scam in the land allotment scheme. The next date of hearing is scheduled for August 29.

The bench, led by Justice M Nagaprasanna, presided over the hearing. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Siddaramaiah, while Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot is represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

In his petition, Siddaramaiah argued that the sanction order was issued without proper consideration, violating statutory requirements and constitutional principles, including the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of India.

“The Hon’ble Governor’s decision is legally unsustainable, procedurally flawed, and motivated by extraneous considerations, and thus the Petitioner has preferred this Writ Petition seeking to quash the impugned order dated 16.08.2024 amongst other reliefs,” Siddaramaiah stated.

The Karnataka Chief Minister challenged the August 16 order granting prior approval and sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Siddaramaiah Slams LoP R Ashoka

Taking to social media platform X, Siddaramaiah sharply rebutted Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader R. Ashoka’s call for his resignation.

In his post, Siddaramaiah slammed Ashoka for his comments questioning why he hadn’t resigned, likening his situation to that of former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa.

“Opposition leader R Ashok has once again displayed his ignorance by asking, ‘Why isn’t Siddaramaiah resigning like B S Yediyurappa did when then-Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj granted prosecution permission?’,” he wrote.

Siddaramaiah responded by pointing out that when Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj granted prosecution permission on January 21, 2011, regarding the Rachenahalli denotification scam, it was based on extensive evidence.

“Despite this, Yediyurappa did not step down as Chief Minister. Mr. Ashok, weren’t you the one who questioned back then about the need for Yediyurappa’s resignation? Now, why are you asking for my resignation?,” he asked.

Karnataka Governor Prosecutes Siddaramaiah 

On Saturday, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the MUDA site allotment scandal. Gehlot approved the prosecution following complaints from three private individuals.

The allegations in the MUDA case involve claims that compensatory sites were allocated to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, in a high-value area of Mysuru. This area reportedly had a higher property value compared to the location of her land, which had been “acquired” by MUDA.

What Is The MUDA Scam

The Karnataka MUDA scam involves alleged irregularities in the Mysore Urban Development Authority’s (MUDA) 50:50 incentive scheme. Under this scheme, individuals who forfeited land for development were entitled to receive 50% of the sites developed by MUDA or an alternative site and translated to approximately nine developed plots of 30’x40’ dimensions, which they could sell at the prevailing market rate.

However, reports have surfaced of multiple violations within the scheme, including cases where some individuals received more alternative sites than they were entitled to.

The scheme, originally introduced in 2009, was scrapped in 2020 by the BJP government. However, MUDA continued with the scheme without obtaining permission from the BJP-led administration at the time.

There are also claims that certain beneficiaries were granted alternative land in areas where the guidance value was significantly higher than the original locations of the developed layouts.

The opposition parties, BJP and JD(S), have alleged that the scam amounts to ₹3,000 crore, further accusing the Chief Minister’s wife, Parvathi, of being a beneficiary.

(With inputs from PTI)