Daijiworld Media Network – Mysuru (DC)

Mysuru, Jun 18: Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah is in trouble after a court directed to register criminal cases and a FIR against him and four others over a 25-year-old land case here on Monday June 18.

Mysuru second additional district and sessions court on Monday ordered to file FIR against Siddaramaiah and others for allegedly grabbing a land illegally during his tenure as deputy chief minister.

The complaint was filed 25 years ago by an advocate named N Gangaraju in which he stated that Siddaramaiah, former chairman of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) V Basabegowda, MUDA chairman D Dhruvakumar and MUDA commissioner P S Kantharaju had grabbed a land illegally.

The complainant alleged that the MUDA had acquired 535 acres under Hinkal gram panchayat limits, to develop a layout in Vijayanagar II stage in 1988. In 1997, after completion of site distribution, the then gram panchayat president Papanna, his relatives Sakamma, Annaiah and Sunanda had applied to the MUDA to denotify 30 guntas of land belonging to them and MUDA had denotified the land. Siddaramaiah who was deputy chief minister then had purchased 10 guntas belonging to Sakamma and constructed house on the site measuring 120 X 75 sqft.

Basavegowda who was serving as MUDA chairman issued a no objection certificate (NOC) and approved the house plan. The house was sold by Siddaramaiah in 2013. In December, 2017, Sakkamma again applied to MUDA to sanction a 60 X 40 site to her, as a beneficiary had constructed his house on a portion of her 30 guntas land. MUDA had approved a site illegally and so the court directed police to file cases against Dhruvakumar and Commissioner Kantharaju.

When Siddaramaiah was the chief minister, the complainants Gangaraju and Sangamesh had sought the governor's approval to take action. But the governor denied permission to file an FIR against the former CM.

The court has asked to file a FIR under IPC sections 120B, 197, 166, 167, 169, 200, 417, 409, 420 and 468 at Laxmipuram police station.