Karnataka HC Issues Notice to CM Siddaramaiah on MUDA Clean Chit Plea

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday, March 26, 2026, issued notices to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife B.M. Parvathi, and several other individuals in connection with a petition challenging the acceptance of a 'B' report by the Lokayukta police in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case. The court, specifically a single-judge bench of Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav, also sought responses from the Lokayukta police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the closure report. The plea was filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna, who has been the original complainant in the alleged corruption case. Krishna's petition contests the decision of a special court for elected representatives, which, on January 28, 2026, accepted the 'B' report. This acceptance effectively granted a clean chit to Siddaramaiah, his wife, his brother-in-law Mallikarjun Swamy, and former landowner J. Devaraj, stating there was insufficient evidence to substantiate corruption allegations. The 'B' report, a closure report, was initially filed by the Mysuru Lokayukta Superintendent of Police on February 12, 2025. It concluded that the allegations against the four accused were not proven due to a lack of evidence. However, the petitioner argued that the special court failed to properly consider the allegations, particularly stressing that the issue involved the misuse of a constitutional office, not merely a private dispute. The core of the MUDA case revolves around allegations of irregularities and corruption in the allotment of 14 alternative sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority to Siddaramaiah's wife, B.M. Parvathi. These sites, located in the upscale Vijayanagar 3rd and 4th Stages of Mysuru, were allegedly allotted as compensation for 3.16 acres of land in Kesare village, which had been acquired by MUDA. The estimated value of these compensatory sites was around ₹56 crore. It is alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah misused his authority and influenced officials in this process. Further background reveals that the case originated from a private complaint filed by Snehamayi Krishna on July 3, 2024. Following this, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for investigation against Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act in August 2024. The Karnataka High Court had upheld the Governor's sanction in September 2024, observing that an investigation was necessary. Subsequently, in October 2024, Parvathi B.M. returned the 14 housing sites to MUDA amidst the controversy. Krishna's plea before the High Court now seeks to challenge the special court's order of January 28, 2026, and demands that the 'B' report be rejected. The petitioner also requests that the investigation be transferred to an independent agency and a fresh probe be conducted into the alleged offenses. The argument centers on the claim that the land denotification, its subsequent transfer, and the allotment of the 14 compensatory sites form a 'single, composite scheme' of criminal conspiracy, and that the special court erred by exonerating the beneficiaries while allowing investigations against other MUDA officials for the same alleged illegalities. It is important to note that a judicial commission, headed by retired Justice P.N. Desai, had also investigated allegations of corruption and maladministration in MUDA. This commission, whose report was accepted by the Karnataka cabinet in September 2025, found no wrongdoing specifically in the allocation of sites to Siddaramaiah's family. However, the panel did highlight large-scale irregularities in MUDA's overall functioning during the 2020-2024 period and recommended action against officials responsible for such irregularities. The current High Court action reopens a significant legal chapter in the long-running MUDA land controversy.

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