MUDA Scam: Lokayukta grills CM Siddaramaiah for close to two hours

Police beefed up security measures and restricted vehicular movement on roads around Lokayukta office including Dewan's Road.

Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared before Lokayukta police in Mysuru on Wednesday (November 6) and faced enquiry for over one hour and 50 minutes, in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case involving his wife B M Parvathi. It is the first Lokayukta inquiry he faced in a personal case, in his 40-year-long political career. 

He arrived at the Lokayukta office at around 10:10 am and walked out from there with a smile at around 12:00 noon. His legal advisor A S Ponnanna accompanied him. 

Police beefed up security measures and restricted vehicular movement on roads around the Lokayukta office including Dewan's Road. 

Lokayukta  SP T J Udesh issued notice to CM Siddaramaiah on Monday(November 4). A team of officials led by Udesh conducted the enquiry. 

They reportedly questioned him about 14 alternative sites allotted by MUDA in Vijayanagar third and fourth stage in Mysuru on a 50:50 basis, as compensation to his wife Parvathi.

She had got those sites from MUDA, for reportedly using her 3.16 acre on survey number 464 of Kesare village in Mysuru taluk, without acquiring it. They reportedly checked if he was aware of the entire process, if he had any role in it and if he used any influence in getting those sites. He reportedly answered all the questions and co-operated with the enquiry. 

Lokayukta Police are investigating the case, based on an FIR filed against Siddaramaiah and others, on September 27.

On September 25, a special court in Bengaluru for cases involving elected representatives directed the jurisdictional Lokayukta  Police, in Mysuru, to initiate an investigation against Siddaramaiah and others based on a complaint filed by Mysuru-based RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.

The FIR mentioned Siddaramaiah as the first accused, and Parvathi as the second accused.

They quizzed Parvathi on October 25. As per the complaint, Devaraju sold the land to B M Mallikarjuna Swamy (brother-in-law of CM) on August 25, 2004.

Further, it was converted from agricultural land to non-agriculture land. On October 6, 2010, Mallikarjuna Swamy gifted the land to his sister Parvathi. Parvathi submitted representations to MUDA, from 2014, seeking compensation for the said land acquired by MUDA.

On December 12, 2021, the then MUDA Commissioner D B Natesh allotted 14 sites on the alternative developed area on a 50:50 ratio.

In the wake of various developments, due to the issue, Parvathi returned all those sites to MUDA on October 1.

Sub-registrar at Additional District Registrar Office completed the process and released sites to MUDA on October 3.

Earlier today

CM Siddaramaiah did not use a chopper or Government vehicle to reach Mysuru. He arrived at the Government guest house in a private vehicle-KA-04 MV 7666 by around 9.30 am, received a guard of honour by the Police, and had breakfast with ministers H C Mahadevappa, K Venkatesh, his legal advisor A S Ponnanna.

Sources said that he was supposed to participate in a campaign in Channapatna for the by-election for the Channapatna assembly constituency.

Owing to the model code of conduct, he did not use a Government vehicle. After the enquiry, he rested for a while in the Government guest house. MLA D Ravishankar and other Congress leaders met him at the guest house. He later left for Channapatna.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders led by MLA T S Srivatsa took up a protest near Ramaswamy Circle in Mysuru urging the CM to resign before he faced enquiry. They were detained by police and released later.