GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th Sept. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money-laundering case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, following allegations related to land allotments by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). This development comes after the state’s Lokayukta police registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah and others on September 27, based on a directive from a special court in Bengaluru.
The FIR names Siddaramaiah, his wife BM Parvathi, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and a person named Devaraju, from whom Swamy had purchased land that was later gifted to Parvathi. The Lokayukta police are investigating the allegations, which involve irregularities in the allotment of compensatory sites to Parvathi by MUDA.
The court’s order came after the Karnataka High Court upheld the Governor’s sanction to investigate Siddaramaiah. The senior Congress leader is accused of illegalities in the allotment of 14 plots in an upscale Mysuru locality to his wife under a controversial 50:50 ratio scheme. Under this scheme, MUDA allegedly allotted developed plots to Parvathi in exchange for undeveloped land she owned, which was acquired for residential development by MUDA.
The ED is expected to invoke the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in its Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and may summon Siddaramaiah and other accused for questioning. The federal agency also holds the authority to attach assets during its investigation.
Siddaramaiah, 76, responded to the case by stating that he is being targeted due to political motives, claiming the opposition is “scared” of him. He reaffirmed his stance, declaring that he will not resign and is prepared to fight the case legally. “I have done no wrong,” he said, adding that this is the first such political case against him.
The investigation into the MUDA land allotment deal is expected to intensify in the coming days, with the ED closely monitoring the Lokayukta police’s findings.
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