'Court of conscience' above all courts, says Siddaramaiah, quoting Gandhi

Bengaluru: Facing ED and Lokayukta probe over the Mysuru land allotment controversy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday invoked Mahatma Gandhi and said the "court of conscience" was above all courts.

The senior Congress leader also said Gandhi's life and thoughts have given him courage, strength and hope in his "current struggle," in an apparent reference to the respective agencies' probe over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 'scam' pertaining to allotment of 14 sites to his wife, where the opposition is demanding for his resignation as CM. "Mahatma Gandhi ji had said there is a highest court above all our courts and that is the court of conscience, it surpasses all the other courts.... sometimes everyone may not get justice from the courts, but I can clearly say that, as Gandhi ji said -- the courts we see cannot be above this court of conscience," he said.

Addressing a Gandhi Jayanti event organised by the 'Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi', Siddaramaiah said, "so all of us should try to conduct ourselves in accordance with our conscience, irrespective whether others like it or not, whether they oppose or appreciate, but we should try to work according to our conscience."

These remarks from the Chief Minister have come at a time when the twin investigations are on against him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case, as per the direction of the courts.

The Lokayukta police on September 27 registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others, following a Special Court order on September 25.

The order of the Special Court came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against the CM.

The Enforcement Directorate has also registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR by police, against the chief minister over the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.

In an online post earlier today, the Chief Minister said: "In a world full of communalism, dictatorship and violence, only Mahatma Gandhi, the embodiment of truth, peace and non-violence, can lead us by the hand."

"Bapu's life and thoughts have given me courage, strength and hope even in my current struggle of facing the real test of truth. Happy Gandhi Jayanti to all the people of the country," he added without referring to the MUDA investigations.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar too at the Gandhi Jayanti event organised by the party said there is a court of conscience above all our courts.

"....we have to conduct ourselves in accordance with our conscience -- this message of Gandhi, we are reminded today....." he said.

On the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar took out a march from Gandhi Bhavan to Gandhi statue on the premises of 'Vidhana Soudha' here.

Noting that the Congress party and its government have always been committed to the Constitution, the CM at the Gandhi Jayanti event highlighted various welfare programmes of his government including the five guarantee schemes, asserting they are aimed at giving economic and social strength to weaker sections.

Siddarmaiah also remembered former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose birth anniversary is also observed today, as one of the honest politicians the country has seen.