CM Siddaramaiah Claims ED Letter Seeks to Manipulate Judiciary Ahead of Court Hearing
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Mandya (Karnataka), Dec 4 (NationPress) Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of sending a letter to the Lokayukta just a day prior to the Karnataka High Court hearing, claiming it was aimed at influencing the judicial process.
CM Siddaramaiah is identified as the primary accused in the MUDA scam, with his wife Parvathy listed as the second accused.
While addressing media inquiries at the K.R. Pet helipad in Mandya district on Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticized the ED for disclosing investigation details to the media and questioned the purpose of dispatching a letter to the Lokayukta.
“The ED is conducting an investigation, which is itself questionable. Even if they carried out the investigation, they should have submitted their report to the Lokayukta afterwards. Instead, they chose to send a letter to the Lokayukta and leak the information to the media. This clearly indicates a political motive,” he asserted.
CM Siddaramaiah contended that the timing of the letter and media leaks—occurring just before the High Court hearing—was a deliberate strategy to sway the judiciary and generate bias in the court's viewpoint.
He noted that the court had instructed the Lokayukta to present an investigation report by December 24.
“If necessary, the ED could have shared their findings with the Lokayukta. This practice of leaking information and sending letters reveals their hidden agendas, which the citizens of the state will recognize,” he remarked.
The ED had communicated with the Karnataka Lokayukta regarding its findings and provided evidence about the alleged illegal allotment of sites to CM Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathy, as compensation.
In its recent message to the Karnataka Lokayukta department, the ED asserted that MUDA had “illegally” allotted a total of 1,095 sites through benami and similar transactions. It indicated that the entire allotment process for CM Siddaramaiah's wife was found to be unlawful.
The agency also claimed to have uncovered evidence that one of CM Siddaramaiah's aides, S.G. Dinesh Kumar alias C.T. Kumar, exerted “undue influence” during the process.
“Most of the allotments have been made in the names of Benami or dummy individuals posing as land losers. However, the actual beneficiaries of these unlawful allotments are real estate tycoons and influential figures,” the Enforcement Directorate investigation revealed.
The ED is preparing to take action against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following the accumulation of “compelling evidence” against him connected to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case, sources disclosed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, when queried about a potential cabinet reshuffle, the CM responded, “Did I state that we are undergoing a cabinet reshuffle? You fabricated your own conclusions and reported them. Now, how can you seek an answer? The High Command has not issued any directives regarding this issue,” he clarified. Concerning the Congress rally in Hassan scheduled for Thursday, CM Siddaramaiah confirmed it is a Congress-organized event.
