Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared before the state Lokayukta police in his home district of Mysuru on Wednesday morning in connection with the investigation of the alleged MUDA scam over a land allotment by the Mysore Urban Development Authority to his wife B M Parvathi in 2021.
The Mysuru unit of the Karnataka Lokayukta police registered a case on September 27 against Siddaramaiah and others on charges of corruption, cheating, forgery on the basis of a private complaint referred by a special court for elected representatives on September 25.
The senior Congress leader is expected to be questioned by the Lokayukta police on his role in the allotment of the 14 high-value MUDA housing sites to his wife in 2021 as compensation for acquisition of 3.16 acres of low-value land gifted to his wife by her brother in 2010.
Siddaramaiah has consistently denied playing any role in the MUDA land allotment to his wife which occurred in 2021 when the BJP was in power in Karnataka.
The Karnataka CM's wife also returned the sites to MUDA after a corruption case was registered against her husband in September and the Enforcement Directorate started a money laundering probe in the alleged MUDA scam.
Earlier this week, the Lokayukta police issued a notice to the CM for appearing before it on November 6 to answer queries regarding his role in the MUDA land allotment to his wife.
The notice was issued even as the original complainant in the corruption case -Snehamayi Krishna, an RTI activist - moved the Karnataka High Court seeking a CBI probe in the case, citing the need for impartiality and maintenance of public confidence since the Lokayukta police work under the purview of the Karnataka government, headed by Siddaramaiah.
The Karnataka HC on Tuesday sought a status report on November 26 regarding the Lokayukta police probe of the MUDA allotments while adjourning the plea by Krishna.
Krishna had earlier sought a probe by the CBI or any independent investigating agency which does not come under the state government or Lokayukta Police. But a special court had referred the matter to the Lokayukta police.
In September, the Karnataka HC had rejected a plea filed by Siddaramaiah against a sanction accorded by the state Governor for investigations of Siddaramaiah's role in MUDA land allotment to his wife.
The High Court, while rejecting Siddaramaiah's petition, had said “it is difficult to accept that CM Siddaramaiah was not behind the curtain during the entire transaction of MUDA land, in which his family allegedly benefitted approximately Rs 56 crore”.
An appeal filed by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah against the decision of the single judge to allow a probe in the alleged MUDA scam involving his family is pending in the HC.
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