Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has granted sanction for prosecution of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam case. The sanction was granted to three private complainants, of which, two have already filed private complaints in court.
However, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that it has not received any communication. Siddaramaiah has been facing flak from the opposition in the state for an alleged land deal involving the allotment of 14 housing sites in Mysore to his wife and the theft of Rs 89.73 crore from a state development corporation for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes.
Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has reportedly approved prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah after activist TJ Abraham urged the Governor to give approval to file a complaint against the CM in the MUDA land allotment case.
Furthermore, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has asked RTI activist TJ Abraham, who flagged the ‘MUDA scam,’ to meet him at Raj Bhavan at 3 PM on Saturday as permission from the Governor is required to prosecute a Chief Minister in a state.
TJ Abraham, President of the Karnataka Anti-Graft and Environmental Forum, earlier filed a complaint saying that CM Siddaramaiah failed to disclose his wife’s ownership of the said land in his 2023 Assembly election affidavit.
Reacting to Saturday’s development, Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu said the Governor’s assent is “against the order of the state High Court in the Yediyurappa case, is biased and part of a conspiracy. Congress will launch a legal fight to nullify the Governor’s move.”
The Karnataka government is expected to challenge the sanction in the High Court on Monday, and a special meeting of the Karnataka cabinet of Ministers has been convened on Saturday evening at 5 pm.
After reports of the scam emerged, Leader of Opposition (LoP) R Ashoka of the BJP alleged that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Paravati too had received an alternative site “in violation of norms”. “How do you defend this?” he asked, pegging the extent of alleged irregularities at Rs 4,000 crore.