ED summons to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife stayed, CBI probe order reserved
By
Synopsis
The Karnataka High Court has reserved its judgement on petitions seeking CBI or an independent agency to investigate the alleged scam involving housing plot allotments to CM Siddaramaiah’s family. The court extended the deadline for the Lokayukta Police to complete their probe, citing concerns over impartiality.
ANIBengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Monday reserved its judgement on petitions seeking transfer of investigation into the alleged scam in the allotment of housing plots to chief minister Siddaramaiah‘s family in Mysuru to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other independent agency.
The Lokayukta Police has been probing the matter after registering a first information report (FIR) on September 27 last year in Mysuru against the CM, his wife BM Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and landowner Devaraju in a case of alleged unlawful allotment of 14 housing plots in the city to the CM’s wife. The allotments were made by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and the FIR names Siddaramaiah as the first accused. Judge M Nagaprasanna, after hearing the petition filed by activist Snehamayi Krishna, extended the deadline for the Lokayukta Police to complete investigation and submit its findings to the special court till the disposal of the writ petition. The petitioners, who first complained to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot requesting sanction against the CM, last year, have expressed lack of confidence in the Lokayukta probe on the grounds that its police wing comes directly under the administrative purview of the CM and hence cannot be expected to conduct an impartial probe.
The Lokayukta Police submitted its interim findings in a sealed cover to the high court before the judge extended the period for investigation. The probe arises from a private complaint filed by some activists before a special court in Bengaluru against the MUDA allotting the plots in return for 3.16 acres of land it acquired in Kesare village on the city outskirts.
Meanwhile, the CM’s wife and state urban development minister Byrathi Suresh got relief from the Karnataka High Court on Monday after they petitioned the court, seeking relief from the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) demanding their appearance before the investigators in the case. The court granted an interim stay on the ED notice. The ED has issued summons to Parvathi to appear before the investigation officer on Tuesday, while Suresh was asked to depose on Monday.
The ED is also separately probing the case of all allotments by the MUDA on a 50:50 basis in Mysuru after it registered an enforcement case information report last September into the complaints of widespread irregularities in the government body in the allotment of housing plots.
