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Karnataka Today newsletter: Special Court orders probe by Mysuru Lokayukta against CM Siddaramaiah. and more

A Special Court on September 25, 2024 ordered a Lokayukta police probe against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA site allotment case, setting the stage for filing of an FIR against him. The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife B.M. Parvathi by MUDA.

The Special Court, exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs, issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna. The Court issued directions to take up the probe under section 156 (3) of the CrPC (that gives a magistrate the power to order an investigation into a cognisable offense) and file the investigation report by December 24.

Former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde feels that CM Siddaramaiah should resign over the Karnataka High Court’s verdict on his petition challenging the sanction of an investigation into the alleged MUDA scam. Mr. Hegde said, “Legally, there is nothing wrong if Mr. Siddaramaiah does not resign. But in terms of propriety, he should resign. Whether to resign or not is left to the individual.”

Mr. Hegde recalled then Union Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning owning moral responsibility for the Ariyalur railway accident in 1956. “You will not see such actions now,” he said. Referring to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s statement that he will challenge the single judge’s order before a divisional bench of the High Court, Mr. Hegde said, “Seeing the observations made by the single judge, it is highly unlikely he (Siddaramaiah) will get a favourable order in higher courts.”

A team of divers and dredgers found the body of Arjun, a truck driver from Kerala, and his vehicle in the Gangavali river at Shirur in Uttara Kannada district on September 25. The truck and driver Arjun were reported missing on July 16 following a landslip amidst heavy rains in coastal Karnataka.

The team was able to locate the mangled vehicle and recover the body from the cabin, after a six-day operation. Superintendent of Police M. Narayana has confirmed the identity of the body.

Broken fence, unattended constructions rods, open drains, dumped waste - poor maintenance is the bane of many playgrounds in Bengaluru. This, at least partially, is because there is no clarity on who exactly is responsible for these grounds.