Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision to sanction his prosecution in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam. The High Court is set to hear the petition today at 2:30 p.m.
In his petition, Siddaramaiah argued that the Governor’s order granting sanction for prosecution was issued without proper consideration, violating statutory requirements and constitutional principles. He contended that the Governor’s decision bypassed 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. Therefore, the Petitioner has preferred this Writ Petition seeking to quash the impugned order dated 16.08.2024, among other reliefs,” Siddaramaiah stated in his plea.
The Chief Minister’s petition challenges the August 16 order by Governor Gehlot, which granted 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 also took to social media platform X to sharply rebut calls for his resignation from Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader R. Ashoka. In his post, Siddaramaiah likened his situation to that of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who faced a similar situation in 2011 but did not resign immediately.
“Opposition leader R. Ashoka 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?’” Siddaramaiah wrote. He pointed out that despite the strong evidence against Yediyurappa at the time, the BJP leader did not step down as Chief Minister immediately.
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. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for Siddaramaiah’s prosecution on Saturday, following complaints from three private individuals.
