A single-member judicial inquiry commission has been established to investigate the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) ‘scam’. The move by the Congress government comes following allegations that MUDA fraudulently allotted plots to land losers, including some plots given to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi.
The inquiry commission will be led by retired Karnataka High Court judge PN Desai.
Taking to X, Siddaramaiah wrote, “I hope the case will be thoroughly investigated and the truth will come out.”
Siddaramaiah has repeatedly denied allegations of improper land allocation to his wife by MUDA. “Our land was illegally taken by MUDA, for which she (my wife) is eligible for land or compensation,” Siddaramaiah said earlier.
He claimed that the BJP was hatching a conspiracy against him and the state.
ABOUT THE ROW
Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, owned 3 acres of land in Kesare village of Mysuru, which was gifted to her by her brother Mallikarjun. This land was acquired by MUDA for development, and Parvathi was compensated with plots totalling 38,283 sq ft in the Vijayanagar area, a prime locality in south Mysuru, in 2021.
It is alleged that the market value of the Vijayanagar plot is much higher than her original land in Kesare, leading to accusations of a scam by the BJP.
Parvathi was allocated the land during the erstwhile BJP regime.
DEVELOPMENTS SO FAR
Last week, a complaint was filed accusing Siddaramaiah of submitting a false affidavit during the 2013 Assembly elections. The complainant alleged that he failed to disclose his wife’s ownership of over three acres of agricultural land in Kesare village.
Another complaint was filed against Parvathi, her brother Mallikarjun, and another person. The complaint alleged that Mallikarjun illegally procured the land and registered it with forged documents in 2004, with assistance from government and revenue department officials.
The complaint further claims that Parvathi, Mallikarjun, and the third party used these documents to defraud MUDA of crores of rupees. The documents purportedly show the names of both Mallikarjun and MUDA between 2004 and 2010, indicating potential illegality.
