Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was summoned by the Lokayukta police on November 6 for questioning in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.
The chief minister confirmed that he had received a notice and said he would appear before the Mysore Lokayukta for questioning. “Yes, Mysore Lokayukta has issued a notice regarding MUDA. I will go to Mysore Lokayukta on 6th November,” he told reporters.
The Lokayukta police, which initiated an investigation into the case following a September 27 special court order, have already questioned Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi B.M., who is also an accused in the case.
The chief minister has already filed an appeal before the division bench of the high court challenging the single bench’s order upholding the governor’s decision. Meanwhile, Parvathi recently offered to return the 14 sites allotted to her, and the MUDA has accepted her offer.
Siddaramaiah is facing Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA. Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi BM, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi- and others are named as other accused in the case by two probe agencies.
Parvathi was recently questioned by the Lokayukta Police in Mysuru. It is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysore (Vijayanagar Layout third and fourth stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been “acquired” by MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout. Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
It is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba Hobli of Mysore taluk. After the controversy broke out, Parvathi announced that she was returning the allotted plots to MUDA.
The chief minister had denied any wrongdoing by him or his family, saying the opposition was scared of him and had noted that it was the first such political case against him.