Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has granted permission to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a prominent Congress leader, in connection with allegations related to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scandal. This decision was made under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 18 of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita, according to sources.
In his order, Governor Gehlot stated that he was prima facie convinced that the allegations and the supporting material presented indicate the commission of offenses. Siddaramaiah’s legal team is expected to challenge the Governor’s order in the Karnataka High Court on Saturday, arguing that the decision was made hastily and lacks sound reasoning.
Karnataka’s Home Minister G. Parameshwara has criticized the move, accusing the central government of exerting pressure on the Governor’s office to destabilize the Congress-led state government. He asserted that the question of Siddaramaiah’s resignation does not arise and pledged full support to the Chief Minister.
Minister M.B. Patil also condemned the BJP’s actions, claiming that the central government is attempting to destabilize non-BJP ruled states, including Karnataka. He emphasized that the issue is not connected to Siddaramaiah and that the alleged wrongdoing occurred during the previous BJP government. Patil accused the Governor of acting on behalf of the central government in an effort to protect H.D. Kumaraswamy, and vowed to challenge the decision in court.
The controversy centers on allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, in an upscale area of Mysuru, which had higher property values compared to the location of her land that was acquired by MUDA. The allotment was made under a 50:50 ratio scheme, where MUDA provided 50% of developed land to landowners in exchange for undeveloped land acquired for residential layouts. Opponents and activists have claimed that Parvathi did not have legal title to the 3.16 acres of land involved.
Despite these allegations, Siddaramaiah has dismissed them as baseless and accused the BJP and JD(S) of attempting to tarnish his image with false accusations. He has vowed to fight the charges both politically and legally, and to expose opposition leaders and their alleged involvement in various scams.
The BJP, meanwhile, has demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation following the Governor’s decision, with party leader B.Y. Vijayendra urging the Chief Minister to step down to allow for an impartial investigation.
Earlier this week, a special court adjourned the hearing of two private complaints against Siddaramaiah to August 20 and 21. The Chief Minister has reiterated that he will not be intimidated by these allegations and remains committed to his political and legal battle.
