Indian Express: Bangalore: Tuesday, 25 February 2025.
A special court, which has taken on record the final report submitted by the Lokayukta police last week, issued the order after the RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna filed a memo requesting it.
A Bengaluru special court
for cases involving elected representatives has directed the Karnataka
Lokayukta police to provide RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna with copies of their
final report in a probe against CM Siddaramaiah over Mysore Urban Development
Authority (MUDA) land allotments. The activist has sought the report by March
1.
The special court, which has taken on record the final report submitted by the Lokayukta police last week, issued the order after the RTI activist filed a memo requesting it.
The Lokayukta police have indicated that they intend to close their investigation due to a lack of evidence to support claims that Siddaramaiah profited to the tune of Rs 56 crore after his wife received 14 housing sites in 2021 in exchange for a 3.16-acre plot acquired by MUDA.
The Lokayukta police issued a notice to the RTI activist on February 19, stating their intent to file a closure report for lack of evidence. The RTI activist is expected to challenge the closure report after reviewing the police findings.
The special court has stated that “the investigating agency shall furnish necessary documents pertaining to the investigation/accompanying the final report to the complainant on or before 01.03.2025”.
An FIR had been registered against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, brother-in-law Mallikarjun Swamy, and landowner Devaraju under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code sections for breach of trust and cheating, based on a complaint filed by the RTI activist.
The Lokayukta police stated in its notice to Snehamayi Krishna on February 19 that there is no evidence available to prove the allegations against the CM, his kin and others.
“As the allegations against accused-1 to accused-4 are not proved due to lack of evidence, the final report is being submitted to the competent court. The final report is being submitted to the court under section 173 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code after investigations into the allegations over the grant of compensatory plots under the 50:50 scheme, from the year 2016 to 2024, by the Mysore Urban Development Authority,” said the notice.
The Lokayukta police have indicated through the final report that they will continue investigations into other aspects of the MUDA case. Following the submission of the final report to the special court, the report can be contested by the complainant, and the court could accept or reject it.
Earlier in January, the Lokayukta police presented a report on the investigations vetted by senior police officials to the Karnataka High Court, after the court directed supervision of the probe by the Lokayukta police IGP and the ADGP.
On February 7, the Karnataka High Court rejected a plea by Snehamayi Krishna for a CBI probe into the corruption allegations against the CM and his family over the MUDA land allotments, expressing confidence in the Lokayukta police.
The RTI activist, who filed the original private complaint seeking a probe into the MUDA land allotments, claimed that the Lokayukta police were not effectively investigating the case since they operate under the purview of the state government.
“The Lokayukta/office of the Lokayukta does not suffer from questionable independence. The insulation of the institution from external influences is already recognized by the Apex Court and the Division Bench of this Court,” the high court stated in its February 7 order rejecting the plea for a CBI probe.
The high court bench, which reviewed a report presented by the Lokayukta police (in a sealed cover) on the investigations conducted in the corruption case filed against the CM by the RTI activist, noted that there was no indication of any bias by the Lokayukta police in their probe.
“The material on record, on its perusal, nowhere indicates that the investigation conducted by the Lokayukta is partisan, lopsided or shoddy for reference to the CBI for further investigation or reinvestigation,” the high court said.
Snehamayi Krishna, who obtained sanction from Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to prosecute the CM in August 2024, was granted clearance by the high court on September 24, 2024, to seek an investigation into the MUDA land allotments.
A special court ordered an investigation by the Lokayukta police on September 25, 2024, after the RTI activist sought a probe by the Lokayukta, the CBI, or any other agency.
The MUDA case centres on 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore that were allotted to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife as compensation by MUDA in 2021, when the BJP was in power after approximately 3.16 acres of land, which were gifted to the CM’s wife by her brother in 2010, had been “wrongfully” acquired by MUDA in 2014.
Siddaramaiah has publicly argued that there was no wrongdoing or corruption on his part in the allotment of 14 housing sites by MUDA to his wife during the BJP’s tenure in exchange for the 3.16 acres of land “wrongfully” acquired from her. Following the allegations against her husband, the chief minister’s wife has returned the 14 compensation sites allotted to her by MUDA under a controversial 50:50 scheme.
Siddaramaiah has filed an appeal in the high court against the single-judge order of September 24, 2024, which facilitated the investigation into the alleged illegalities in the MUDA allotments to his wife. A division bench is due to hear the appeal on March 22.
A special court, which has taken on record the final report submitted by the Lokayukta police last week, issued the order after the RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna filed a memo requesting it.
 |
| Court directs Lokayukta to provide final report to RTI activist on Siddaramaiah’s MUDA land case. (File Photo) |
The special court, which has taken on record the final report submitted by the Lokayukta police last week, issued the order after the RTI activist filed a memo requesting it.
The Lokayukta police have indicated that they intend to close their investigation due to a lack of evidence to support claims that Siddaramaiah profited to the tune of Rs 56 crore after his wife received 14 housing sites in 2021 in exchange for a 3.16-acre plot acquired by MUDA.
The Lokayukta police issued a notice to the RTI activist on February 19, stating their intent to file a closure report for lack of evidence. The RTI activist is expected to challenge the closure report after reviewing the police findings.
The special court has stated that “the investigating agency shall furnish necessary documents pertaining to the investigation/accompanying the final report to the complainant on or before 01.03.2025”.
An FIR had been registered against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, brother-in-law Mallikarjun Swamy, and landowner Devaraju under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code sections for breach of trust and cheating, based on a complaint filed by the RTI activist.
The Lokayukta police stated in its notice to Snehamayi Krishna on February 19 that there is no evidence available to prove the allegations against the CM, his kin and others.
“As the allegations against accused-1 to accused-4 are not proved due to lack of evidence, the final report is being submitted to the competent court. The final report is being submitted to the court under section 173 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code after investigations into the allegations over the grant of compensatory plots under the 50:50 scheme, from the year 2016 to 2024, by the Mysore Urban Development Authority,” said the notice.
The Lokayukta police have indicated through the final report that they will continue investigations into other aspects of the MUDA case. Following the submission of the final report to the special court, the report can be contested by the complainant, and the court could accept or reject it.
Earlier in January, the Lokayukta police presented a report on the investigations vetted by senior police officials to the Karnataka High Court, after the court directed supervision of the probe by the Lokayukta police IGP and the ADGP.
On February 7, the Karnataka High Court rejected a plea by Snehamayi Krishna for a CBI probe into the corruption allegations against the CM and his family over the MUDA land allotments, expressing confidence in the Lokayukta police.
The RTI activist, who filed the original private complaint seeking a probe into the MUDA land allotments, claimed that the Lokayukta police were not effectively investigating the case since they operate under the purview of the state government.
“The Lokayukta/office of the Lokayukta does not suffer from questionable independence. The insulation of the institution from external influences is already recognized by the Apex Court and the Division Bench of this Court,” the high court stated in its February 7 order rejecting the plea for a CBI probe.
The high court bench, which reviewed a report presented by the Lokayukta police (in a sealed cover) on the investigations conducted in the corruption case filed against the CM by the RTI activist, noted that there was no indication of any bias by the Lokayukta police in their probe.
“The material on record, on its perusal, nowhere indicates that the investigation conducted by the Lokayukta is partisan, lopsided or shoddy for reference to the CBI for further investigation or reinvestigation,” the high court said.
Snehamayi Krishna, who obtained sanction from Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to prosecute the CM in August 2024, was granted clearance by the high court on September 24, 2024, to seek an investigation into the MUDA land allotments.
A special court ordered an investigation by the Lokayukta police on September 25, 2024, after the RTI activist sought a probe by the Lokayukta, the CBI, or any other agency.
The MUDA case centres on 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore that were allotted to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife as compensation by MUDA in 2021, when the BJP was in power after approximately 3.16 acres of land, which were gifted to the CM’s wife by her brother in 2010, had been “wrongfully” acquired by MUDA in 2014.
Siddaramaiah has publicly argued that there was no wrongdoing or corruption on his part in the allotment of 14 housing sites by MUDA to his wife during the BJP’s tenure in exchange for the 3.16 acres of land “wrongfully” acquired from her. Following the allegations against her husband, the chief minister’s wife has returned the 14 compensation sites allotted to her by MUDA under a controversial 50:50 scheme.
Siddaramaiah has filed an appeal in the high court against the single-judge order of September 24, 2024, which facilitated the investigation into the alleged illegalities in the MUDA allotments to his wife. A division bench is due to hear the appeal on March 22.
.JPG)
.JPG)
