The Karnataka High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the case involving Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued to BM Parvathi, wife of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and State Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority MUDA scam. The next hearing will be held on February 20.
Previously, the High Court had granted interim relief to both Parvathi and Suresh, staying the ED summons that required them to appear before the agency. Both had approached the court challenging the summons. A single-member bench, led by Justice Nagaprasanna, had stayed the summons until the next hearing scheduled for February 10.
The case revolves around allegations that CM Siddaramaiah used his political influence to obtain compensation for his wife in the form of 14 sites at a prime locality, worth around ₹56 crore, in exchange for land acquired by MUDA. The original land, acquired by MUDA, was valued at ₹3,24,700.
Social activist Snehamayi Krishna had petitioned the High Court to transfer the investigation from Lokayukta to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, the court rejected the request, stating that there was no evidence of bias or inadequacy in the Lokayukta investigation.
Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra responded to the ruling, stating that the court had not exonerated CM Siddaramaiah from the allegations.