SC suspends inquiry against HDK for 2 weeks in land grant case

Kumaraswamy called the proceedings “institutionalised harassment,” claiming repeated coercive actions and political vendetta, even as his writ appeal on the matter remains pending.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed for keeping in abeyance for two weeks proceedings initiated by the tahsildar in May this year to proceed with an inquiry against against Union Minister and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, in connection with an alleged land grant case.

A bench of Justices Pankaj Mittal and Justice Prasanna B Varale declined to interfere with an interim order by the High Court of Karnataka on September 8, 2025.

“In the facts and circumstances of the case, as the writ appeal remains pending before the division bench, we do not deem it necessary to exercise our discretionary power under Article 136 of the Constitution,” the bench said.

The court dismissed the petition filed by Kumaraswamy. It, however, granted him liberty to participate in the writ appeal and to get the matter decided on merits.

“However, further proceedings pursuant to the summons dated 29.05.2025 shall remain in abeyance only for a period of two weeks to enable the petitioner to approach the High Court,” the bench said in its order.

The court passed its order after hearing senior advocate C A Sundaram and advocates Balaji Srinivasan, Nishanth A V and Harsha Tripathi for Kumaraswamy.

Coercive proceedings

Terming the action against him as “institutionalised harassment,” Kumaraswamy’s plea assailed the September 8, 2025 order by the High Court, which vacated the interim protection earlier granted to him by staying the summons issued to the him by the tahsildar.

The petitioner was aggrieved with the order, as it revived coercive proceedings and exposed him to an imminent risk of dispossession.

His plea contended that the actions of the state were a clear manifestation of political vendetta. It alleged he had been systematically targeted through a combination of administrative orders and judicial overreach in contempt proceedings. 

“Repeated attempts have been made at the state’s behest to dispossess him from land lawfully owned by him, by wrongfully invoking contempt jurisdiction, constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) without authority and issuing coercive summons to him,” it said. 

The petitioner vehemently submitted that he has a valid title and interest in the said properties, and there was no challenge whatsoever to his title thereof. His plea claimed he was the lawful owner of several land parcels in Kethaganahalli village, Bidadi hobli, Ramanagara. 

In 2011, a former MP filed a complaint filed before the Karnataka Lokayukta, alleging illegal land grants in Kethaganahalli. Crucially, he was not named in this complaint.