Karnataka High Court to Rule on CM Siddaramaiah's Petition Against Governor's Sanction in MUDA Land Case

The Karnataka High Court will soon decide on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's challenge to the Governor's approval for an investigation against him in a case concerning controversial land allotments by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Some allege the allotments were improper and possibly illegal.

The Karnataka High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the legality of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's approval for an investigation against him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.

Following the completion of hearings on September 12, the High Court had reserved its order, also extending its interim directive for a special court to defer proceedings against Siddaramaiah, originally set for August 19. The decision will be made by Justice M Nagaprasanna.

Governor Gehlot granted sanction for the investigation on August 16 under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, following complaints by Pradeep Kumar S P, T J Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna.

On August 19, Siddaramaiah moved the High Court, arguing the Governor's sanction was issued without proper consideration and violated constitutional principles. He sought the quashing of the order.

The Chief Minister was represented by lawyers Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Prof. Ravivarma Kumar, while Solicitor-General of India Tushar Mehta appeared for the Governor. Senior advocates Maninder Singh, Prabhuling K Navadgi, Lakshmi Iyengar, and others represented the complainants.

In the MUDA case, there are allegations that Siddaramaiah's wife, B M Parvathi, improperly benefited from the allotment of valuable compensatory sites. Opposition leaders have also claimed Parvathi had no legal title to the land in question.