(Image source from: x.com/CMofKarnataka)
The Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah will face legal proceedings due to alleged irregularities in land allocations by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). After receiving petitions from three activists - Pradeep Kumar, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has approved his prosecution in the MUDA land scam case. A letter from the Governor's Secretariat informed the activists that the Competent Authority has decided to grant permission to prosecute the Chief Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023, for the alleged offenses mentioned in the petitions. The Chief Minister's Office has acknowledged receiving this communication. The state BJP has welcomed the Governor's decision to allow the prosecution of Siddaramaiah, stating that sufficient records and evidence have been kept against the corruption scandals of the Congress government and the bias and corruption of the Chief Minister's relatives.
The state government has raised concerns about the Governor's actions, accusing them of being politically motivated. They claim the Governor has shown alarming speed in issuing a notice to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over a baseless private complaint, while delaying action on cases against former officials. The government argues this is a misuse of the Governor's constitutional powers. The notice followed a petition by an anti-corruption activist alleging irregularities in land allotments that led to significant financial losses for the state. The government has advised the Governor to withdraw the notice and has passed a resolution against sanctioning the prosecution. Overall, there appears to be a political dispute between the state government and the Governor's office over the selective targeting of the Chief Minister. The son of a prominent figure, S Yathindra, alongside high-ranking MUDA officials, have been accused of participating in a suspected land fraud scheme. Additionally, another activist, Snehamayi Krishna, has claimed that Siddaramaiah, his spouse, as well as MUDA and government personnel, were implicated in the alleged land scam.
No new FIR was registered as the police informed that an investigation has already been started in the matter. Siddaramaiah claimed that his brother Mallikarjuna gifted the land to his wife in 1998 as compensation. But activist Krishna alleged that Mallikarjuna bought it illegally in 2004 and registered it on fake documents with the help of the government and revenue agencies. . It has been proven that the property was purchased in 1998. In 2014, when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister, Parvati demanded compensation for this land. The BJP, which is seeking a CBI probe into the case, organized a week-long padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysore against the Congress government earlier this month. Reacting to the BJP attack, Siddaramaiah said that his wife had received compensation when the BJP was in power and that he was right. "They (BJP) have given a platform and now if they say it is illegal, how should we react?".
