Relief for Siddaramaiah's wife in MUDA case as Karnataka HC quash ED summons

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

In a big relief, the Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons against the wife of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BM Parvathi, in the MUDA scam case.

A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna also struck down summons to Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, whom the ED wanted to question.

Siddaramaiah and his wife are key accused in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, land scam case.

The central probe agency had issued a summons to the Chief Minister’s wife at its office in Bengaluru on January 28. This was the second notice issued to her, following the first on January 3, which required her to appear on January 9. However, she requested an extension, citing her age and the need for more time to compile relevant documents. On January 27, the court granted a temporary stay on the summons, according to a News18 report.

Parvathi had argued the ED was trying to probe an issue - i.e., alleged irregularities over land allotment - already being investigated.

The ED's counter was that Parvathi was the second accused in the original case - the MUDA land scam case - after the Chief Minister, and that she may have received proceeds of crime.

The original inquiries were led by the Karnataka branch of anti-corruption watchdog Lokayukta, which last month said there is a "lack of evidence to conduct an investigation" against the Chief Minister and his wife, and noted also the complaint seemed "unsuitable for criminal charges".

The MUDA land scam broke last year after anti-corruption activists claimed that compensatory land allotments by MUDA between 2016 and 2024 - specifically 14 plots in a posh Mysuru neighbourhood to Ms Parvathi - exceeded the value of land taken up by the agency. All of this allegedly cost the state finances Rs 45 crore.