In a significant development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has taken his battle over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case to the division bench of the High Court, challenging a previous ruling by a single judge bench. This appeal, filed on October 1, comes after Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed the Chief Ministerโs petition on September 24, which sought to overturn Governor Thaawarchand Gehlotโs authorization of an investigation into alleged irregularities.
The crux of the controversy involves the allotment of 14 prime sites in Mysuru to Siddaramaiahโs wife, Parvathi B M, under a scheme that has sparked legal scrutiny and political debate. The sites, located in Vijayanagar Layoutโs 3rd and 4th stagesโan area noted for its high property valuesโwere allegedly allocated to Parvathi in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, purportedly acquired by MUDA for residential development.
The Governor had previously sanctioned an investigation following allegations that Parvathi lacked legal title to the land in question, specifically at survey number 464 of Kasare village. This sanction led to the involvement of the Lokayukta police, who initiated a probe and named Siddaramaiah, his wife, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and others in their FIR on September 27.
Adding to the Chief Minister’s challenges, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) joined the fray on September 30, filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR) based on the Lokayuktaโs findings.
The appeal before the division bench underscores a continuing legal battle that not only questions the procedural aspects of the allotment under the contentious 50:50 schemeโwhereby MUDA offers 50% of developed land to those whose lands were takenโbut also casts a shadow over the governance and integrity of Siddaramaiah’s administration.
