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What is the story
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has taken legal action against the Governor’s permission to prosecute him for alleged irregularities in land allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
The petition was filed before the Karnataka High Court. Justice Hemant Chandangoudar said the court would hear it either on Monday or Tuesday, subject to the Chief Justice’s approval.
Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Saturday gave permission to prosecute Siddaramaiah after petitions were filed by social activists TJ Abraham, Snehamai Krishna and Pradeep Kumar.
Activists demanded criminal prosecution in MUDA fraud
Abraham filed a criminal complaint in July and the governor immediately issued summons to Siddaramaiah.
The dispute revolves around the allegation that Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi was awarded 14 plots in a prime residential area as compensation for her 3 acres and 16 guntas of land acquired from MUDA.
Under the MUDA 50:50 incentive scheme, individuals who have lost their land to landscape redevelopment are awarded either 50% of the land or a replacement plot.
Siddaramaiah denies allegations and claims that MUDA has carried out illegal development
However, opposition parties claim that this land, intended for members of the Dalit community, was wrongfully transferred to Siddaramaiah’s wife on the basis of forged documents.
Siddaramaiah has denied all the allegations and said that MUDA has illegally undertaken construction on a 4-acre plot of land owned by his wife in Kesarur, Mysuru.
He dismissed these allegations as unfounded.
Notably, in 2014, when Siddaramaiah was the Prime Minister, Parvathi demanded compensation for this land.
Allegations of land embezzlement in the MUDA scandal
In his complaint, Abraham alleged that the allotment of 14 alternate sites to Parvathi was illegal, resulting in a loss of Rs 45 crore to the state exchequer.
Krishna also accused the chief minister of abusing his power to forge documents and claim the MUDA land as his family property.
According to reports, the properties in Vijayanagar are worth far more than Parvathi’s 3.16 acres of land in Kesare.
