Bengaluru Court Directs Mysore Lokayukta Police To Investigate MUDA Case Involving CM Siddaramaiah

A Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday directed the Mysore Lokayukta Police to investigate the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife and others.

The special court judge Santhosh Gajanana Bhat passed the order on a private complaint filed by Snehamayi Krishna. The court ordered the police to investigate the matter and submit a report before the court within 90 days.

The order comes a day after the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petition filed by Siddaramaiah seeking to quash the sanction granted by the Governor to prosecute him in the alleged scam.

During the pendency of the hearing of the petition the court had by way of an interim order stayed further proceedings before the trial court on the private complaints. The High Court while dismissing the petition filed had dissolved the interim order.

The Governor on August 17 had granted approval for investigation as per Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sanction for prosecution as per Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The CM's plea had claimed that the sanction order was issued without due application of mind, in violation of statutory mandates, and contrary to constitutional principles, including the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of India. It was also claimed that the impugned order of sanction is tainted with mala fides and is part of a concerted effort to destabilise the duly elected government of Karnataka for political reasons.

The High Court while rejecting the petition had said “It is difficult to accept that CM Siddaramaiah was not “behind the curtain” during the entire transaction of MUDA land, in which his family allegedly benefitted approximately ₹56 crores.”