The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah and other accused, including his wife Parvathi BM, on an appeal to transfer the MUDA investigation to the CBI.
The notices are returnable by April 28, when the High Court is expected to take up the matter for hearing.
The original petition against the accused had alleged illegal allotment of residential sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife by MUDA. The petition alleges illegal allotment of sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife by MUDA. The appeal for transfer of investigations was filed by activist Snehamayi Krishna, seeking direction to transfer the investigation into the MUDA site allotment case to the CBI. The CM is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife, Parvathi BM, by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
The RTI activist had challenged an order by a single judge bench that rejected the petitioner’s appeal to transfer the investigations to the CBI.
On Wednesday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind directed that the notice be made returnable on April 28, stating, “Notice to respondents returnable on April 28. Since it was stated that appeals connected to the subject matter controversy are slated to be listed on that day.”
Dismissing the earlier petition, the single judge concluded that the Lokayukta investigation did not demonstrate any bias or deficiency. The court will next hear the matter on April 28, alongside other appeals linked to the MUDA case. Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law B M Mallikarjun Swamy, Devaraju— from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi— and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police establishment, located in Mysuru on September 27, 2024, following the order of the Special Court that exclusively deals with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs.
The Lokayukta police have filed a closure ‘B’ report, stating that there is no material to justify the allegations against the Chief Minister, his wife, Mallikarjuna Swamy, and Devaraju in connection with the case.