Karnataka Cabinet accepts inquiry panel report clearing CM Siddaramaiah in alleged land scam

The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday accepted a report by the Justice PN Desai Commission cleared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family in an alleged land scam involving the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, PTI reported.

“The report makes it clear that there is no truth in allegations made against the chief minister and his family,” the news agency quoted state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil as saying after a Cabinet meeting. “It has also asked for action against certain officials on various accounts.”

Patil added that the Cabinet had accepted the report and its recommendations.

The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value housing sites in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi BM in 2021 by the Mysore Urban Development Authority under a state government scheme.

This was allegedly done in exchange for 3.1 acres of land that Parvathi owned in another part of the city. The land was alleged to be illegally acquired from Dalit families.

The state government formed the one-man commission headed by Desai, a retired Karnataka High Court judge, in July 2024 to look into the allegations. The report was submitted to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh on July 31, PTI reported.

The commission cleared Siddaramaiah and his family in connection with the alleged irregularities. It said that the allotment of...

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