Siddaramaiah To Face Prosecution In Mysuru Land Scam Case After Governor’s Approval

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Saturday approved the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru land scam case involving the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The governor instructed RTI activist TJ Abraham, who reported the alleged scam, to meet him at Raj Bhavan at 3 pm. Prosecution of a Chief Minister requires the Governor’s consent.

The Chief Minister is expected to contest the Governor’s approval for prosecution in court. The MUDA scam, a major political issue in Karnataka, involves claims of irregularities in land allotments by the Mysore Urban Development Authority.

It is alleged that Parvathi Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister’s wife, benefited from these irregularities. In 2021, MUDA acquired Parvathi Siddaramaiah’s 3-acre plot in Kesare village, Mysuru, for development and allocated her other plots in the upscale Vijayanagar area of south Mysuru.

The Vijayanagar plots are reportedly worth significantly more than her original Kesare land. Abraham, President of the Karnataka Anti-Graft and Environmental Forum, has filed a complaint alleging that Siddaramaiah did not disclose his wife’s land ownership in his 2023 Assembly election affidavit.

The complaint claims that Siddaramaiah’s omission of land details from his affidavit was done “with his absolute knowledge and clearly with some ulterior motives.” It seeks legal action against him under Section 125A and Section 8 of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1950, and cites violations of various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

On July 26, the Governor issued a show cause notice to Siddaramaiah, seeking an explanation for the alleged scam, and had previously requested information from the Chief Secretary.