The Karnataka High Court on Thursday postponed the hearing of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s petition, which challenges the legality of Governor Thaawarchand’s sanction for his prosecution in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, to Saturday. The court also extended its previous interim order, which instructed the special court handling complaints against the Chief Minister to defer its proceedings until the next hearing.
During the session, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and completed his submissions, reserving the right for rejoinder submissions after the respondents conclude theirs. Justice M Nagaprasanna scheduled the next hearing for 10:30 am on Saturday, noting that Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Governor, will complete his submissions then.
The Governor had originally granted sanction on August 16, under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, for the commission of alleged offenses as outlined in petitions by Pradeep Kumar S P, T J Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna.
On August 19, shortly after the Governor’s decision, Siddaramaiah approached the High Court to challenge the sanction’s legality. In his petition, he argued that the order was issued without proper consideration, violating statutory mandates and constitutional principles, including disregarding the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is considered binding under Article 163 of the Constitution.
