Lokayukta Police file FIR against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA case
PTC Web Desk: The Lokayukta Police on Friday registered an FIR against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case. This development follows a recent directive from a special court in Bengaluru ordering an investigation into allegations of illegal site allotments by MUDA to the Chief Minister's wife Parvathi.
The special court, which exclusively handles criminal cases involving elected MPs and MLAs, instructed the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to launch a probe based on a complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna. The complaint claims that 14 sites, valued at Rs 56 crore, were unlawfully allotted.
The investigation was permitted after the Karnataka High Court upheld the Governor's sanction to proceed with an inquiry against Siddaramaiah. Justice M Nagaprasanna of the High Court ruled on September 24 that while a Governor typically acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers, in exceptional circumstances, they may take independent decisions.
The court found this case to be such an exception, thus rejecting Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the inquiry.
Siddaramaiah defends himself, refuses to resign
Despite the allegations, CM Siddaramaiah remains defiant and has stated that he will not resign as CM. "I have done nothing wrong. This is purely a political case," the Congress leader said in response to the FIR. When asked about the BJP’s demand for his resignation, he responded, "Why should I resign when no wrongdoing has been committed?"
In a parallel move, the Karnataka government, led by Siddaramaiah, withdrew the general consent earlier granted to the CBI to investigate cases in the state. This move was criticised by the BJP, which accused the Congress of attempting to evade the investigation into the MUDA scam.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla condemned the decision, alleging that "thousands of crores have been siphoned off in the MUDA scam." He further called the Congress’s actions a typical response from a "certified thief and robber."
- With inputs from agencies
