On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the Governor’s approval for an investigation into alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The petition contested the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, which permitted an inquiry into the allotment of 14 sites in a prime locality.
After six hearings, Justice M. Nagaprasanna reserved judgement on September 12 and extended an interim order deferring proceedings in the special court until the petition’s resolution. The court ruled that the facts presented warranted investigation, noting that the petitioner’s family benefited from the actions in question. Justice Nagaprasanna stated, “The petition stands dismissed”, and dissolved the existing interim orders.
The Governor had sanctioned the investigation on August 16 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharitya Nagarik Surakha Sanhita, 2023. Siddaramaiah argued that the sanction was issued without due consideration, violating statutory and constitutional provisions, including the Council of Ministers’ advice under Article 163 of the Constitution.
Senior legal counsel represented both Siddaramaiah and the Governor. The allegations involve the improper allotment of compensatory sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, under a scheme that allowed landowners to receive developed land in exchange for undeveloped land acquired by MUDA, with claims that Parvathi lacked legal to the land involved.
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