Karnataka News: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is in the line of fire having to face a major legal case following Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s nod on Saturday, August 17, to sanction his prosecution in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority scam. The development has upped the war between Siddaramaiah and his family members in the current row.
MUDA Accused of Fraudulent Transactions
The MUDA scam hinges on allegations of land scams at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority. It is said that buys of diminutive value land in a remote location in Mysuru were exchanged against real estate of colossal value located in a prime location in the city. The controversy has further been kindled by the accusations that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, was a purchaser involved, in a way, with the transactions he was involved in, thus casting a shadow of suspicion on the Chief Minister.
After the scam, opposition parties have charged Siddaramaiah with illegally acquiring land originally belonging to the Dalit community. The estimated worth of the alleged scam is around ₹3,000 crore. The complaint, filed by Snehamayi Krishna, has accused MUDA of creating forged documents and acquiring land worth crores of rupees. Besides Siddaramaiah and his wife, the complaint also charged Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj with the alleged wrongdoing.
This has added to the controversy through an action of the Governor: on July 26, a “show-cause notice” was issued, requiring Siddaramaiah to explain within seven days why action for prosecution should not be launched against him. The Governor’s order came after increased scrutiny and the media glare on the case.
Dikshit Defends Siddaramaiah
On the development, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit dismissed the allegations as “fake case.” He defended Siddaramaiah, saying the Chief Minister received the flats through compensation, and wondered why the BJP — which was in power then — approved compensation if there were problems with it.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit says, “This is a fake case…CM Siddaramaiah received these flats through compensation. They should prove that there was something wrong with the compensation provided to CM Siddaramaiah. And if there was something wrong, the BJP was in power at that time. Why did they give the compensation?…” The case holds the attention of the nation, in riveted focus, throughout the court proceedings, underscoring deepening political divisions and an ongoing debate over corruption and accountability in Karnataka.