Synopsis
In Bengaluru, petitioner Snehamayi Krishna has filed a complaint with the CVC against senior Lokayukta officials, alleging bias in the MUDA case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was cleared of wrongdoing.Key Takeaways
- Snehamayi Krishna lodged a complaint with the CVC.
- The complaint targets senior IPS officers from the Karnataka Lokayukta.
- CM Siddaramaiah was acquitted in the MUDA case.
- Allegations include manipulation of evidence and biased reports.
- The Karnataka High Court annulled summons related to the case.
Bengaluru, March 12 (NationPress) The petitioner in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, Snehamayi Krishna, has lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of the Central Vigilance Committee (CVC) against senior IPS officials working in the Karnataka Lokayukta on Wednesday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was identified as the principal accused in the MUDA scandal, was exonerated by the Lokayukta.
The complaint targets Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Manish Kharbikar, IGP Subramanyeshwara Rao, and Mysuru Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh.
SP Udesh led the investigation into the MUDA case, ultimately filing a closure report due to insufficient evidence against CM Siddaramaiah and others.
The petitioner contended that the officials within the Karnataka Lokayukta operated under the influence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah while addressing the MUDA scandal. He accused them of being biased and called for action to be taken against them.
Snehamayi Krishna also alleged that, despite possessing ample evidence regarding the MUDA scandal, the officials inaccurately reported a lack of evidence and presented an interim report as the conclusive one to the court.
“I was astonished by the behavior of these senior IPS officers. They have yielded to the accused individuals,” he claimed.
“I seek clarification on whether these officers provided a misleading report to the court under the guise of insufficient evidence. Therefore, an investigation into all three IPS officers is necessary to convey a strong message to the bureaucracy,” he stated.
The report submitted to the court failed to address the unlawful nature of the illegal allotment of parallel sites in the prestigious Vijayanagar area of Mysuru—rather than in Devanuru Third Stage.
According to the petitioner, the use of white correction fluid (whitener) was evident in manipulating documents, which facilitated allotments in Vijayanagar, where land prices range from Rs 23,000 to Rs 26,000 per square meter, compared to Rs 11,000 per square meter in Devanuru Third Stage.
The report did recommend disciplinary actions against former Deputy Commissioner G. Kumara Naik (now a Congress MP), Tehsildar Malige Shankar, and others.
However, it did not categorize their false claims of conducting spot visits and providing misleading reports as legal offenses, as pointed out by the petitioner.
The officers also neglected to investigate allegations concerning the initials “DCM” found on a document requesting de-notification.
At that time, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was serving as Deputy Chief Minister. The petitioner argued that this indicates Siddaramaiah was aware of the fourth accused, landowner J. Devaraju, and the matter warrants further inquiry.
Petitioner Snehamayi Krishna had also submitted a writ petition to the division bench of the Karnataka High Court, challenging the single bench's order that dismissed his appeal for a CBI investigation into the MUDA case.
The Karnataka High Court on March 7 annulled the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's spouse B.M. Parvathi and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh in relation to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case.
