Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Faces Legal Troubles as ED Files Money Laundering Case Over MUDA Controversy
Bengaluru, 1st October 2024: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah faces new legal challenges as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case against him, his wife Parvathi, and others related to the MUDA land allotment controversy. This action follows a recent FIR filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta against the chief minister, officials reported.
In response to the ED’s actions, Parvathi announced her decision to return 14 disputed land parcels to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). She communicated this intention in a letter to the MUDA commissioner on Monday evening.
The ED has invoked provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to initiate its enforcement case information report (ECIR), which functions similarly to a police FIR. This allows the ED to summon individuals for questioning and potentially attach their assets during the investigation.
The FIR, filed by the state Lokayukta at the request of a special court in Bengaluru, implicates Siddaramaiah, his wife B. M. Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and Devaraju, from whom Swamy acquired land that was subsequently gifted to Parvathi.
The special court’s ruling came shortly after the high court upheld Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s sanction to investigate Siddaramaiah for alleged irregularities in the allocation of 14 land parcels to his wife by MUDA.
Previously, Siddaramaiah claimed that he was being targeted in the MUDA case because his opponents felt threatened by him. He emphasized that he would not resign despite the investigation, asserting his innocence and pledging to fight the case legally.
The Congress party criticized the BJP-led central government, alleging that the ED and other investigative agencies have been turned into tools for political harassment and retaliation against rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The allegations in the MUDA land allotment case indicate that compensatory plots were allocated to Parvathi in a prime area of Mysuru, which had a higher property value than the land she “acquired” from MUDA.
