A special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday has passed an order for investigation against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by the competent authority in Karnataka Lokyukta in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case.
The court that exclusively deals with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs issued the order a day after the high court upheld Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision to give sanction for a probe against the chief minister.
Shortly after the special court order, Siddaramaiah sought to put on a brave face and said he was ready to face any investigation in the MUDA scam case. “Already I have said that I am ready to face an investigation. I am not afraid of a probe, Siddaramaiah told reporters here. I am ready for a legal fight. I had said this yesterday and I am reiterating it today as well,” he said.
Karnataka Lokayukta’s Mysuru district police will investigate the MUDA scam and submit the report in three months. The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA.
The High Court had also vacated its August 19 interim order directing the Special Court for People’s Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe.
It had dismissed Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the legality of the Governor’s August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
Earlier in a setback to Siddaramaiah, the high court on Tuesday (September 24) upheld Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval for the investigation against him in the site allotment case and dismissed his petition stating that the gubernatorial order nowhere suffers from want of application of mind.
