MUDA Case: Karnataka HC directs Lokayukta to submit report on progress of investigation

Dharwad: The Karnataka High Court has adjourned the hearing of an application seeking court’s direction to hand over the investigation into MUDA scam to CBI to January 27. Petitioner Snehamayi Krishna had sought High Court’s direction to hand over the investigation into the scam in which chief minister Siddaramaiah’s involvement is alleged, to the CBI.

The single judge bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna who is sitting in Dharwad Bench of High Court took up the case for hearing on Wednesday and after hearing the argument adjourned the next hearing to January 27. He also sought to know why the Lokayukta which is probing the case had not submitted a report on the progress of the investigation done so far and directed it to submit the details of the investigation done from December 19,2024 till date by January 16.

Senior counsel Maninder Singh representing Krishna argued that the investigation should be impartial. Since the politicians are involved in this case, expecting an impartial probe will be difficult and there is need for an independent agency to take up the probe, he said. He pointed out that a three-member special team had taken up the investigation and the officers are from the state government.

The police officers in Lokayukata are from the state police and hence it will be difficult to expect an impartial probe, Singh argued. He also told the court that sites worth Rs 56 crore had been allotted illegally and the chief minister’s wife, in a hurry, had returned 14 sites that were allotted to her. The state government is trying to protect those guilty in the scam and the officials from the Urban Development department had taken away 145 files from MUDA, Singh told the court and added that the Lokayukta had not taken steps to take custody of these files. Hence there is need to handover the probe to CBI, he argued. At this juncture, senior counsel Ravivarma Kumar representing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah objected that Maninder Singh was raising issues that were not relevant.