Karnataka High Court lifts stay on Lokayukta probe in MUDA scam against CM Siddaramaiah

The Karnataka High Court Wednesday lifted the interim stay it had earlier imposed on the Mysuru Lokayukta police from conducting any further investigation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his co-accused in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam..Justice M Nagaprasanna directed the Lokayukta police to continue with its probe and said that such probe will be monitored by the Lokayukta police's Inspector General.It also directed the Lokayukta to submit a probe report before the Court by January 27.The judge further ordered Lokayukta to submit all existing records and files pertaining to the case before the High Court by January 16.."You (Lokayukta) resume your investigation and submit your final report or whatever you have done until then on the next date of hearing. But by tomorrow, you submit everything you have collected from December 19, 2024 until now," Justice Nagaprasanna said.The Court also directed all parties to submit their objections by the next date of hearing..The High Court passed the directions while hearing a petition filed by Snehamayi Krishna, an activist and one of the three complainants in the Muda scam, seeking a probe by CBI into the alleged scam.Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Krishna, reiterated that the Lokayukta, since it comes under the State government, might not be able to ensure a fair probe in the case involving the Chief Minister.Singh further pointed out that after the Lokayukta began its probe in the case following the High Court's directions, a committee of three IAS officers had conducted a surprise investigation and "taken away" all records from the Lokayukta..However, the High Court remarked that the committee's surprise check dealt with the general functioning of Muda and not the particular case of alleged illegal land allotment made in favour of Siddaramaiah's wife.Senior Advocates Dr AM Singhvi and Professor Ravivarma Kumar, who appeared for the Chief Minister, also objected to Singh's arguments and said they were irrelevant since the committee had visited the MUDA office before a special court in Bengaluru had directed the Lokayukta to conduct the present probe in the case..On December 19 last year, Justice Nagaprasanna had restrained the Mysuru Lokayukta police from conducting any further investigation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his co-accused in the case..In September this year, Justice Nagaprasanna had dismissed a plea filed by Siddaramaiah challenging the sanction granted by the Governor to file corruption cases against the Chief Minister over land that MUDA granted to his wife Parvathi.Subsequently, the Karnataka Lokayukta had filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah and three others on charges of corruption, cheating and forgery in connection with the MUDA site allotment.