Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday faced a setback in connection with the alleged Mysuru land scam case as the Karnataka High Court dismissed his petition challenging the Governor's approval for an investigation against him in the site allotment case.
Responding to the development, Siddaramaiah said he is not afraid of the conspiracies of the BJP and JD(S) and the "misuse" of Raj Bhavan. He also said that he would not hesitate to investigate and added that he is confident that the truth will come out.
"I will not hesitate to investigate. I will consult with experts on whether such an investigation is allowed under law or not. I will discuss with the legal experts and decide on the outline of the fight...I am confident that the truth will come out in the next few days and the investigation under 17A will be cancelled," the Karnataka Chief Minister said in a statement.
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"(I am) not afraid of BJP, JD(S) "conspiracies" and "misuse" of Raj Bhavan," CM Siddaramaiah said.
He also hit out at the NDA government saying that the judicial proceeding is a fight against the revenge politics of the Narendra Modi government. He further said that the judicial struggle against the revenge politics of BJP and JD(S) will continue.
"I believe in law and the constitution. Truth will finally win in this fight. Our judicial struggle against this revenge politics of BJP and JDS will continue. I have faith in the court. All the MLAs, leaders and workers of our party and the Congress High Command have stood by me and encouraged me to continue the fight for the law. BJP and JD(S) have resorted to political retaliation against me because I am pro-poor and fighting for social justice," he added.
He said that he would discuss with experts, and party colleagues and decide on the future course of action.
Siddaramaiah had challenged the approval given by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for an investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a prime locality.
Siddaramaiah had contended that the sanction order by the Governor was issued without due application of mind, in violation of statutory mandates. He further claimed that the order was part of a concerted effort to destabilise the duly elected government of Karnataka for political reasons.
After completing the hearings on the petition in six sittings from August 19, the single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna on September 12 reserved its verdict. It had also extended its August 19 interim order directing the special court for people's representatives that was slated to hear complaints against him in the case, to defer its proceedings till the disposal of the petition.
The high court said that the facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require investigation, in the teeth of the fact that the beneficiary of all these acts is not anybody outside but the family of CM Siddaramaiah.