ED Expected to Charge Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA Case
ED Expected to Charge karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to file charges against karnataka Chief minister Siddaramaiah and several others in a money-laundering investigation connected to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), following a recent FIR from the state Lokayukta, according to official sources.
Named in the FIR filed by the Mysuru Lokayukta police on september 27 are Siddaramaiah, his wife B M Parvathi, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and Devaraju, from whom Swamy bought land that was later gifted to Parvathi. This FIR was initiated after a special court in Bengaluru ordered the Lokayukta to investigate Siddaramaiah regarding allegations of irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by MUDA.
The court's order came shortly after the high court upheld governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's authorization to investigate Siddaramaiah. The ED is expected to apply sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in its Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), as they analyze the Lokayukta FIR.
As part of the investigation, the ED has the authority to summon the accused for questioning and even seize their assets.
Siddaramaiah (76) has claimed that he is being targeted politically due to opposition fears, describing the case as the first of its kind against him. He has maintained that he will not resign and insists on his innocence, stating he will fight the allegations legally.
In the MUDA site-allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were given to Siddaramaiah's wife in a high-value area in Mysuru, despite the lower value of the land she supposedly “acquired” from MUDA. The Lokayukta FIR lists multiple charges under various sections of the indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal conspiracy, public servant disobeying the law, dishonest misappropriation of property, and more.