Lokayukta Police Files FIR In MUDA Land Case Against Siddaramaiah, A Day After Karnataka Withdraws General Consent To CBI

The Lokayukta police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.

This action follows a recent order by a special court in Bengaluru, directing the Lokayukta to investigate allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites, valued at Rs 56 crore, to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi.

The court, which handles criminal cases involving elected MPs and MLAs, issued the order in response to a complaint by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, PTI reported.

The Karnataka High Court had upheld Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision to grant permission for an investigation into Siddaramaiah in a ruling on 24 September.

Justice M Nagaprasanna explained that while the Governor typically acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 163 of the Constitution, the Governor can make independent decisions in exceptional cases.

Despite the FIR, Siddaramaiah has stated that he will not resign, asserting his innocence and describing the case as politically motivated. "I have done nothing wrong. This is a political case against me," he said.

Meanwhile, amid the controversy, the Karnataka government withdrew its general consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases in the state, accusing the agency of bias.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised this move, with national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accusing the Congress of trying to avoid scrutiny in the MUDA case.

However, " Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil denied that this decision has anything to do with the MUDA land case against Siddaramaiah as the CM comes under the Lokayukta probe.