HC adjourns hearing on CM’s appeal in MUDA land allocation case

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s appeal challenging the Governor’s sanction for prosecution against him in connection with the controversial Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case.

A division bench comprising Justice Anu Shivaraman and Justice K. Rajesh Rai took up the appeals filed by CM Siddaramaiah and J. Devaraju, the original landowner of the disputed property. During the proceedings, Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty, appearing for the state government, argued that the appeals deserved final hearing. Senior advocate Prof. Ravivarma Kumar, representing MUDA, requested the court to list the matter in the second week of November. Accepting the request, the bench adjourned the matter. The controversy stems from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s decision granting sanction for prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah over alleged irregularities in MUDA site allotments. A single-judge bench had earlier upheld the Governor’s action and dismissed petitions challenging it. Siddaramaiah subsequently moved the division bench a month later, while Devaraju filed two separate appeals in November 2024.

Meanwhile, petitioner Snehamaayi Krishna had approached the High Court seeking a CBI probe into the MUDA scandal. However, Justice M. Nagaprasanna’s bench dismissed the plea, ruling that no such probe was warranted. Krishna has since filed an appeal before a division bench, which remains pending.

In a related development, the Supreme Court recently upheld a Karnataka High Court order quashing money transfer proceedings against Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, giving a major relief to the Chief Minister’s family.

The MUDA controversy has generated intense political debate in Karnataka. Allegations surfaced that Siddaramaiah’s family benefited from an illegal land allotment, with his wife Parvathi being allotted 14 alternative sites in Mysuru. Amid public pressure and opposition criticism, Parvathi voluntarily returned the plots to MUDA, though the political storm has not fully subsided.

As the appeals remain pending, the High Court’s eventual ruling will be crucial not only for CM Siddaramaiah’s legal standing but also for the political atmosphere in Karnataka, where the MUDA case continues to be a major flashpoint for the opposition BJP against the ruling Congress.