Bengaluru court upholds Lokayukta clean chit to Siddaramaiah in Muda case

The court dismissed a petition challenging the Lokayukta's findings, which concluded that there was no prosecutable evidence of irregularities in the allotment of 14 Muda sites.

In a major relief to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a Special Court for Elected Representatives in Bengaluru on Tuesday accepted the Lokayukta’s closure report in the MUDA land allotment case, effectively granting him and three others a clean chit.

Special judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat dismissed a petition filed by complainant Snehamayi Krishna, who had sought rejection of the Lokayukta’s B Report and a direction for further prosecution. With the court upholding the Lokayukta’s findings, the case against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, aides Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju stands closed for want of prosecutable evidence.

The case relates to allegations of irregularities in the allotment of 14 residential sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The controversy stemmed from MUDA’s decision to allot compensatory plots in Mysuru to Parvathi in lieu of a 3.16-acre parcel of land at Kesare village, which she had claimed ownership of through family inheritance. The complainant had alleged that the original land title was questionable and that the compensatory allotment caused financial loss to the state exchequer.

Following these allegations, the Lokayukta had registered an FIR and conducted a detailed probe, examining documents, land records and allotment procedures. In its closure report, the agency concluded that there was no evidence to establish criminal conspiracy, misuse of office, or illegal gratification by the accused.

Accepting the Lokayukta’s conclusions, the court also dismissed a contempt petition filed against the investigating officer, rejecting claims of deliberate lapses in the probe.

However, the court clarified that the order would not affect investigations against other accused named in the broader MUDA case. It also allowed the Enforcement Directorate to continue its parallel probe under money-laundering laws, which focuses on financial aspects linked to the land transactions.