A special court on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) site allotment case, setting the stage for filing of an FIR against him.
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 B.M. Parvathi by Muda.
The special court, exclusively dealing with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs and MLAs, issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.
The court passed directions for the probe to be taken up under Section 156 (3) of the CrPC, which gives a magistrate the power to order an investigation into a cognisable offence, and file a report by December 24.
The high court had vacated its August 19 interim order directing the special court to defer the decision on the 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 Ssection 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
Reacting to the special court order, Siddaramaiah iterated that he was ready to face an investigation. “Already I have said that I am ready to face an investigation. I am not afraid of a probe,” the chief minister and Congress leader told reporters here. “I am ready for a legal fight. I had said this yesterday and I am iterating it today as well.”
Home minister G. Parameshwara said the Lokayukta police was an independent body. “It is not under anyone’s mercy, they will investigate independently.... Will react once the order copy comes. Chief minister Siddaramaiah has said that he is ready for any probe...,” he said.
Parameshwara chose not to directly respond to a question regarding a statement made by Siddaramaiah seeking BJP leader and then chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s resignation during a “similar situation” in the past and said: “Let’s see what’s in the order copy.”
The BJP once again demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation and asked him to cooperate with the probe. State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra said: “The chief minister has said that he is ready for any probe, but has questioned why he should resign. Siddaramaiah seems to have forgotten what he preached as the leader of the Opposition to then chief minister Yediyurappa. He had asked Yediyurappa to resign for a fair and impartial probe when the accused person is at the helm of affairs.”
“The court might have asked the Lokayukta police to probe, but we urge the CM — before he resigns — that he should order the investigation to be handed over to the CBI, an independent agency, for a free and impartial probe,” he said.
The Opposition BJP and JDS in Karnataka on Wednesday also sought to step up its demand for the chief minister’s resignation as they tried to lay siege to his residence. Holding posters, placards and raising slogans, members of the BJP Yuva Morcha marched towards “Cauvery” but the police thwarted their attempt, took them into preventive custody and whisked them away in a bus.
