Siddaramaiah MUDA case
Overview
The Siddaramaiah Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case involves allegations of illegal land allocation and money laundering against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, and other close family members. The core accusation is that Siddaramaiah's wife received 14 prime residential plots in an upscale area of Mysuru through unfair compensatory allotment by MUDA, which significantly exceeded the value of the original land acquired. Opposition parties allege that total value of the scam could range between Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 crore. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following an FIR by the Karnataka Lokayukta on September 27, 2024. The case has become a focal point of political conflict between the ruling Congress party in Karnataka and the opposition BJP, with ongoing legal and political ramifications.
Recent Developments
Several significant events have occurred pertaining to the Siddaramaiah MUDA case, especially in the past few months:
- September 27, 2024: The Karnataka Lokayukta filed an FIR against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family members, citing illegal land allocation by MUDA.
- September 30, 2024: The Enforcement Directorate registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, and brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, invoking sections of the PMLA.
- September 30, 2024: Parvathi voluntarily offered to surrender the 14 controversial plots to the MUDA, citing a desire to maintain her husband’s unblemished public record.
Timeline
1992-2010:
- September 1992: Preliminary notification issued to acquire 3.16 acres of land in Kesare village, Mysuru, owned by a farmer named Ninga bin Javara for the Devanur Layout third phase project.
- 1998: The land was denotified, canceling its acquisition. However, it was later appropriated by MUDA to form plots, which led to ongoing confusion regarding its status.
- August 2004: Mallikarjuna Swamy, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law, purchased the 3.16 acres of land from the original owner’s heirs and converted it from agricultural to non-agricultural in 2005.
- October 2010: Swamy gifted the land to his sister, Parvathi, Siddaramaiah’s wife.
2011-2022:
- 2011-2013: MUDA began to develop this land, utilizing it for residential purposes without rightful acquisition, which Parvathi initially opposed.
- June 2014: Parvathi applied for compensation from MUDA for the unauthorized use of her land.
- December 2017: MUDA acknowledged the error in using the denotified land and decided to allocate alternative sites to Parvathi.
- November 2020: The controversial 50:50 scheme was introduced by MUDA to compensate land losers with developed sites.
- January 2022: The scheme resulted in Parvathi getting allotted 14 posh plots in Vijayanagar 3rd phase.
- October 2023: Amid growing allegations of misuse, the Karnataka government scrapped the 50:50 scheme.
2023-2024:
- July 2024: Amid mounting allegations, the Karnataka government set up a commission to probe the allocations under the MUDA scheme between 2006 and 2024.
- August 16, 2024: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for an investigation against Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
- August 19, 2024: Siddaramaiah challenged the Governor’s sanction in the Karnataka High Court.
- September 24, 2024: The High Court dismissed Siddaramaiah’s plea, upholding the Governor’s decision and directed an investigation.
- September 27, 2024: The Lokayukta filed an FIR based on a private complaint by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.
- September 30, 2024: The ED registered an ECIR and began an investigation under PMLA.
- September 30, 2024: Parvathi offered to surrender the 14 plots back to MUDA.
Summary
The Siddaramaiah MUDA case revolves around allegations of improper allocation of 14 plots of prime land in Mysuru to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife under a controversial MUDA scheme. The case has led to significant legal actions, including investigations by the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate under PMLA, causing major political strife between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP. Both Siddaramaiah and his family have consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the land allocations were made according to the law. As of now, the case remains under investigation, with Siddaramaiah refusing to resign amidst mounting political pressure.