Karnataka Governor Gives Nod To Prosecute CM Siddaramaiah, Will Congress Ask Him To Step Down?

Bengaluru: In a huge political development, Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Saturday granted sanction for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as confirmed to Republic Kannada. This decision follows allegations of impropriety in the allocation of sites to his wife under the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

"The Governor has granted sanction for prosecution against the Chief Minister. It is based on three petitions filed by -- T J Abraham, Pradeep Kumar and Snehamayi Krishna," said an senior official at the Raj Bhavan.

The sanction now opens the door for an official investigation into the Chief Minister's actions, raising questions about his future in the position. With this decision, the Congress party faces a critical moment, as they must decide whether to ask Siddaramaiah to step down amidst the mounting pressure.

The Governor's secretariat has written to Pradeep Kumar S P, T J Abraham and Snehamayi Krishna about the decision of the component authority on the request of sanction of prosecution against Siddaramaiah, under section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 218 of Bharithiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023 for the commission of alleged offences mentioned in the petitions.

A special meeting of the state cabinet has been called at 5 pm today, following the Governor's decision. According to official and Congress sources, the Chief Minister will legally fight the prosecution sanction accorded by the Governor.

Siddaramaiah has repeatedly said that the Congress government led by him is ready to fight legally and politically, in case the Governor rejects the Cabinet's advice to withdraw the "showcause notice" to him, and grants permission for prosecution.

Based on a petition filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had issued a "showcause notice" on July 26 directing the Chief Minister to submit his reply to the allegations against him within seven days as to why permission for prosecution should not be granted against him.

The Karnataka government had on August 1 "strongly advised" the Governor to withdraw his "show-cause notice" to the Chief Minister and alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office '' of the Governor.

Will DK Shivakumar step in?

As the political landscape shifts, speculation is growing about whether DK Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, might play a pivotal role in the unfolding situation. The decision by the Congress party and its potential implications for the state’s political dynamics are being closely watched.

An official communication from the Governor’s office is expected shortly, which will likely shed more light on the next steps in this high-stakes political scenario.

Earlier on August 1, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had said the Governor failed to take note of the fact that Abraham comes with criminal antecedents having criminal cases of blackmail and extortion registered against him.

What is the MUDA Scam?

The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), originally founded as the City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) in 1904 during the Mysuru Maharajas' rule, is facing intense public scrutiny. Allegations have surfaced about widespread irregularities in the allotment of residential sites to landowners whose properties were acquired for development.

The controversy gained political attention when it was reported that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, was allegedly allotted 14 sites in a high-end residential area as compensation for her 3 acres and 16 guntas of land acquired by MUDA. This has placed MUDA, one of Karnataka’s oldest urban planning bodies, at the center of a growing public and political storm.

Under MUDA’s 50:50 incentive scheme, individuals who lost land for layout development are entitled to either 50% of the developed sites or an alternative site. However, reports suggest that many violations occurred, such as people receiving more sites than allowed and being given land in areas where the official value was much higher than where their original land was located. These alleged irregularities reportedly cost MUDA hundreds of crores.

Further complicating the issue, site allocations allegedly continued despite two government orders in the past six months directing MUDA to halt all allotments under the 50:50 scheme until clear guidelines were established. A recent government order initiating an inquiry under an IAS officer noted suspicions of illegal activities, with complaints that sites were being allocated to influential people and real estate agents instead of eligible beneficiaries.

How Is CM Siddaramaiah and His Wife Involved in the Alleged MUDA Land Scam?

CM Siddaramaiah and his wife, Parvathi, became involved in controversy because Parvathi owned 3 acres of land in Kesare village, Mysuru. This land was acquired by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for development, and in exchange, compensatory sites were allotted to her in an upscale area of Mysuru. It is alleged that the plots given to Parvathi had a much higher property value compared to the location of her original land acquired by MUDA.

The plots were allotted to Parvathi under MUDA’s 50:50 scheme, which means she received 50% of the developed land in exchange for her 3.16 acres of undeveloped land. The BJP has questioned how such a high-value property could have been touched by MUDA and estimated the size of the scam to be around Rs 3,000 crore.

A social activist, Snehamayi Krishna, filed a complaint against CM Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, and nine others, accusing them of forging documents to claim compensation from MUDA. The complaint alleged that Siddaramaiah, his wife, and his brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, along with others, were involved in creating fake documents to obtain plots worth crores of rupees. The BJP has also claimed that the scam could be worth over Rs 5,000 crore and has called for a CBI investigation.

MUDA Scam Estimated at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 Crore: BJP

The BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA "scam" is of the magnitude of Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.

The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA 'scam'.

The opposition BJP and JDS held a week-long 'padayatre' earlier this month from Bengaluru to Mysuru demanding the resignation of Siddaramaiah in connection with the scam.