Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah In Trouble As Governor Gehlot Approves His Prosecution In MUDA Scam

The decision by Governor to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah, which emerged on Saturday, was based on petitions filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, and two others, Pradeep and Snehamayi Krishna.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has granted permission for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam'. The decision, which emerged on Saturday, was based on petitions filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, and two others, Pradeep and Snehamayi Krishna.

An official from the Raj Bhavan confirmed the Governor's decision, stating, as per PTI "The Governor has granted sanction for prosecution against the Chief Minister following three petitions filed by T J Abraham, one Pradeep and Snehamayi Krishna."

This development follows an earlier petition by T J Abraham, which prompted the Governor to issue a "showcause notice" on July 26. The notice required Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to respond to the allegations within seven days, explaining why prosecution should not be sanctioned against him.

In response to the notice, the Karnataka government strongly objected to the Governor's actions, urging him on August 1 to retract the "showcause notice." The state government argued that the Governor's move represented a "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office", as reported by PTI.

On August 1, the Karnataka government strongly urged the Governor to revoke the "show-cause notice" issued to the Chief Minister, citing an alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office" of the Governor.

Siddaramaiah has emphasized that the Congress government under his leadership is fully prepared to address the legal and political aspects if the Governor rejects the Cabinet's advice to withdraw the "showcause notice" to him. 

MUDA 'Scam'

In the alleged MUDA 'scam', it's claimed that Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, received compensatory plots in a prime area of Mysuru, which had a significantly higher property value compared to her original land, which was "acquired" by MUDA.

MUDA had allocated these plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA later developed a residential layout.

This controversial scheme involved MUDA giving 50 percent of developed land to landowners as compensation for the undeveloped land acquired from them for residential layout development.