Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 20: The Karnataka Lokayukta has submitted an 11,000-page closure report to the Special Court for MLAs and MPs in Bengaluru regarding the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case. The report, filed by Mysuru Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh, comes just one day after the Lokayukta issued a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the other accused in the case.
Sources have revealed that the closure report was filed in connection with the case against CM Siddaramaiah, his wife B.M. Parvathi (Accused No. 2), his brother-in-law Mallikarjunswamy (Accused No. 3), and landowner J. Devaraju (Accused No. 4). The Lokayukta’s investigation report includes testimonies from over 50 individuals, concluding that no evidence was found to support the allegations against the CM and the other accused. However, the report also states that investigations will continue against certain officers and other individuals involved in the case.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar weighed in on the development, reiterating his stance that the MUDA case was politically motivated. Speaking in Bengaluru on Thursday, he stated, "From the beginning, I have said that the MUDA case is purely political. When the BJP and JD(S) organised a padyatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru over this issue, I reiterated that it was politically-motivated."
Shivakumar further asserted that there was no basis for the charges against the Chief Minister. "There is no signature or order issued by CM Siddaramaiah. He had only sought a claim over the acquisition of his property, and the allotment of sites was done accordingly. There is no rule that compensatory sites must be provided in a particular locality. It was purely a political plot," he added.
The Deputy CM also emphasised the importance of the independence of the Lokayukta. "The Lokayukta is an independent institution, and the courts have emphasised that local institutions should not be weakened. The police do not act on the CM’s instructions in everything. Whether I am the CM or BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai is the CM, such interference will not happen," he remarked.
Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy also expressed his belief in the Chief Minister’s innocence, stating that he had always expected Siddaramaiah to receive a clean chit from the Lokayukta. "There is no letter from him, nor any recommendation to MUDA to allot sites to him. The decision to allot sites was made during the BJP government’s tenure. The allotments were done for everyone, including CM Siddaramaiah. If any action is to be taken, it should be against the BJP-appointed Chairman of MUDA. The BJP and JD(S) must take responsibility," he said.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, IT, and BT, Priyank Kharge, defended the Lokayukta as an independent body. "If the BJP says they don’t believe in it, how tenable is that? What if the BJP and JD(S) held a padyatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru? Does that mean we should hand out capital punishment? Let the Opposition continue their agitation, but they must back it with proper records," he asserted.
The MUDA case centred on allegations that CM Siddaramaiah had fraudulently secured the allotment of 14 MUDA sites in his wife’s name in exchange for the acquisition of 3.16 acres of land. Following an investigation by the Karnataka Lokayukta, Siddaramaiah and the other accused were cleared of the charges, with the Lokayukta concluding that the case was based on misconceptions of the law.
The Lokayukta’s findings were communicated to the petitioner, Snehamayi Krishna, in a notice issued on Wednesday. The notice instructed Krishna to approach the magistrate within a week if he wished to challenge the findings. According to the notice, the case was categorised as a civil matter, not suitable for criminal investigation, as no evidence was found to substantiate the charges against the accused.