One news item that caught my attention today was The Karnataka High Court yesterday (24/9/24) dismissing Karnataka CM Siddaramiah’s petition in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allocation scam. Siddaramiah had challenged the Governor’s sanction for his prosecution in the alleged scam.
The high-profile case pertains to allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to BM Parvathi, wife of Siddaramiah, in an upmarket area in Mysuru. The sites reportedly had higher property value compared with the location of her land that was acquired by the MUDA. The plots were allotted to Parvathi by MUDA under 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land. At that place MUDA had developed a residential layout.
The timeline of the MUDA site allotment case:
Originally the land (3.16 acres) belonged to a person named Ninga in Kesere village of Mysuru district. In the family settlement , Ninga’s second son became the sole owner of the land.
September 1992– The preliminary notification was issued for acquiring Ninga’s land. This was done to form the third phase of the Devanur area layout.
February 1998– A final notification was issued in this regard to acquire 3.16 acres of land. (Siddaramiah was then Deputy C of Karnataka)
2001– Denotified land was utilized to form the third phase of the Devanur layout, while sites were allotted.
November 2003– Land was restored in the name of its original owner.
August 2004-Mallikarjunaswamy, brother-in-law of Siddaramiah purchased this 3.16 acres of agricultural land from the original owner. ( This time also Siddaramiah was Deputy CM of the state)
July 2005– Mallikarjunaswamy-owned land was converted for non-agricultural use.
October 2010– The land was gifted by Mallikarjunaswamy to his sister Parvathi.
June 2014– Parvathi sough compensation against her land being used by the MUDA.
December 2017– MUDA admitted using the denotified land for the layout. Further, it was decided to grant alternative sites to Parvathi. ( Siddaramiah is now CM of the state)
November 2020– MUDA agreed to award alternative sites on a 50:50 basis. This means that Parvathi will be provided half the land as developed plots.
October 2021– Parvathi petitioned MUDA again seeking alternative sites as compensation.
January 2022– Parvathi was allotted 14 plots in Vijaynagar ( A high profile area of Mysuru city).
October 2023– The Karnataka government scrapped the 50:50 scheme. ( Siddaramaiah is once again CM of the state)
July 4, 2024– Siddaramiah sought Rs 62 Cr compensation and claimed that her land was usurped.
July 14, 2014– The state government set up a one-man inquiry commission to investigate the alleged illegalities in the matter.
July 24, 2014– Karnataka Speaker denied permission to discuss the alleged MUDA scam in the state assembly.
July 26, 2024– The Governor issued a show-cause notice to Siddaraniah following the petition from social activist TJ Abraham.
August 1, 2024– The state cabinet urged the Governor to withdraw the show-cause notice to Siddaramiah.
August 3, 2024– Siddaramiah responded to Governor’s notice denied all the allegations.
August 3-10, 2024- Opposition parties like BJP and JD(S) organized a foot march to Mysuru.
August 16, 2024- The Governor granted sanction for an investigation against the CM.
August 19, 2024– Siddarmiah filed a plea in the High Court challenging the Governor’s sanction for prosecution under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as well as Section 218 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
September 24, 2024-The Karnataka High Court dismissed Siddaramiah’s petition challenging the Governor’s sanction to prosecute him in the case.
Now the pressure is being mounted on the Congress top brass to take definite stance on Siddaramiah. He has refused to quit just because HC had rejected his petition challenging the legal validity of Governor’s sanction to probe and prosecute him in the case involving his wife Parvathi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have maintained stoic silence, neither openly backing Siddaramiah nor questioning the Governor’s decision.
After the HC verdict, BJP has sought Siddaramiah’s resignation, and asked him not to hang like Kejriwal. As per BJP’s spoke person ‘In this new India, politicians who used to think that they can get away after loot, scam and get away without realizing it is not possible now.
Similar things happened in Haryana during Congress party’s rule, when lots of land was transferred to Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi.
Congress High Command is in dilemma as move to replace Siddaramiah could stoke dissent among MLAs loyal to him. Last year Congress High Command had great difficult in finalizing CM’s name because of tussle between Siddaramiah and DK Sivakumar (present Dy CM).
Let’s wait and watch for the future development in this case.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
25th September 2024.