Karnataka court allows Lokayukta police to continue probe against Siddaramaiah in alleged land scam

A Karnataka court on Tuesday allowed the state’s Lokayukta police to conduct further investigation into an alleged land scam involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, The Indian Express reported.

However, it deferred its decision on a closure report submitted by the anti-corruption ombudsman in February that found “no evidence” against the Congress leader.

Special judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat said that the question of whether to accept the report would be kept pending till the Lokayukta police filed its final report, the Deccan Herald reported.

The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value housing sites in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, 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 allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.

On September 25, a special court in Bengaluru ordered a Lokayukta police investigation against Siddaramaiah after the Karnataka High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to prosecute him.

On September 27, the Lokayukta police registered a first information report against Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, her brother Mallikarjuna Swamy and a person named Devaraju.

Swamy had reportedly purchased the land in question from Devaraju and gifted it to Parvathi.

On October 1, Parvathi offered to return the 14 plots in question. This came after the...

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