A special court pulled up the Lokayukta over delays in filing the final report in the Muda case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. With no final report filed, orders were deferred to December 23.
MUDA case: Court pulls up Lokayukta over delay in final report on allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Bengaluru
The Special Court for People’s Representatives in Karnataka strongly criticised the Lokayukta for failing to submit the final investigation report in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) case, which involves serious allegations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged illegal allotment of 14 sites.
Despite earlier court directions to submit the final “B-report” by December 18, the Lokayukta produced only an interim progress report. Questioning the delay, the judge sought an explanation from Lokayukta officials, who stated that prosecution sanction against certain officials was still pending, making it impossible to file the final report.
During the hearing, the court directed the Special Public Prosecutor to produce the case diary. The prosecutor requested additional time and suggested that the report could be submitted in a sealed cover. This proposal was opposed by the complainant, Snehamayi Krishna, who alleged that there was an attempt to mislead the court.
Snehamayi Krishna further claimed that no proper investigation had been conducted in the case and accused the authorities of protecting the accused. He alleged that no witnesses had been examined despite clear court directions.
Expressing concern over how any order could be passed without a final investigation report, the court adjourned the hearing. Orders on petitions challenging the Lokayukta’s B report and the clean chit granted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and three others were deferred to December 23.
The Muda case pertains to allegations that Siddaramaiah’s family illegally benefited from the allotment of 14 high-value sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, allegedly in violation of land allotment rules.