MUDA scam: Karnataka HC rejects CM Siddaramaiah’s petition against Governor’s sanctions for corruption probe

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah challenging the grant of sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Governor seeking an inquiry against him in the MUDA land allotment case. PTI reported.

In its judgment, the single-judge bench of Justice Nagaprasanna said that the penal order for prosecution did not suffer from lack of diligence on the part of the Governor, ANI reported.

In his petition, Siddaramaiah questioned the legality of the punishment imposed by the Governor, which allows investigation against him under Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Surakha Sanhita, 2023.

In the MUDA land allotment case, it is alleged that Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi, was wrongfully allotted compensatory land in a valuable area of ​​Mysuru.

Also Read: What is Karnataka MUDA scam? Here’s how Siddaramaiah is linked to Mysuru Urban Development Authority’s site grant

As reported by ANI, TJ Abraham, the plaintiff in the alleged MUDA scam, said, “The anti-corruption movement has seen a tremendous upsurge… I am sure the judge has travelled far and wide in various judgments across the country to come to this conclusion. It is a fantastic order. We were prepared for it.”

The MUDA had allotted these plots under a controversial 50:50 ratio, whereby the losers received half of the developed land in exchange for undeveloped land acquired for residential purposes. Some opposition leaders and activists alleged that Parvathi received preferential treatment in the deal.

Earlier, on August 16, the Governor had imposed sanctions under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for alleged offences listed in the petitions filed by petitioners Pradeep Kumar SP, TJ Abraham and Snehamayi Krishna.

Siddaramaiah challenged the legality of the order before the Supreme Court on August 19, arguing that the sanction was imposed without due scrutiny and thus violated legal requirements and constitutional principles, including the binding recommendation of the Council of Ministers under Article 163 of the Constitution.

He wanted to have the governor’s order overturned because it was legally untenable, procedurally flawed and influenced by external factors.

On August 31, the Karnataka Governor’s office informed the Supreme Court that the decision to charge Siddaramaiah in the MUDA scandal was taken after careful consideration.

Amid the controversy, Karnataka ministers and Congress MPs staged a ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo’ protest against Governor Thawarchand Gehlot’s approval of Siddaramaiah’s prosecution.

The Congress party accused the governor of bias and claimed that he had failed to act in other pending cases.

(With contributions from agencies)