Muda case: Lokayukta clean chit for Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, wife in land swap

MYSURU: Lokayukta Police gave a clean chit Wednesday to Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi and two other co-accused in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) land-swap case, saying the charges levelled by petitioner Snehamayi Krishna against them "could not be substantiated".

However, Siddaramaiah, for whom the case posed a challenge to his pre-eminence within the state Congress, apparently isn't out of the woods yet. ED is separately investigating laundering charges linked to the CM's wife allegedly benefiting from preferential allotment of 14 plots within Mysuru city by Muda in exchange for land on the outskirts.

‘Planned drama’: Muda scam case petitioner on Sidda clean chit

Lokayukta’s inquiry report will be submitted Thursday to the special MP/MLAs’ court in Bengaluru, where a hearing is scheduled for Feb 24.

Mysuru Lokayukta SP and investigation officer TJ Udesha said a notice had been issued to petitioner Krishna, giving him a week to file objections. The notice, whose contents Krishna shared with the media, states that the investigation didn’t throw up any evidence to implicate CM Siddaramaiah, his wife and others named in case.

The activist dismissed the probe report as “pre-planned drama”, saying Lokayukta never bothered to cross-check any of its findings with him. “I visited Lokayukta office only to hand over the documents I had collected. My fight will continue. I will file objections,” he said.

According to the Sept 27 FIR registered under IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act, Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act and Karnataka Land-Grabbing Prohibition Act, Parvathi received 14 prime plots in Mysuru’s Vijayanagar under the 50:50 Muda scheme. She returned the 14 plots to Muda after the case was filed.

CM Siddaramaiah was accused of conspiring to get ownership of the 14 sites in the heart of Mysuru in his wife’s name in exchange for 3 acres, 16 guntas of land at Kesare on the city’s outskirts. The FIR named the CM, his wife, brother-in-law BM Mallikarjuna Swamy and land owner J Devaraju. After an investigation spanning 138 days, Lokayukta compiled a nearly 1,000-page report containing statements of more than 100 serving and retired Muda officers, politicians, Muda commissioner and tahsildar, among others.

Lokayukta Police clarified that further investigation into Muda’s compensatory plot allocations between 2016 and 2024 was underway. A report under Section 173(8) of CrPC will be submitted to Karnataka HC.

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