MUDA case: Karnataka High Court quashes ED's summons to CM Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi and State Minister BS Suresh

The Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi BM, and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, issued in connection with the MUDA land allotment scam.

Parvathi and Suresh had filed a petition before the court seeking to quash the ED summons.

Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of illegalities in allotting 14 sites to his wife, Parvathi.

On January 27, the high court stayed the ED’s notice directing Parvathi and Minister Suresh to appear for questioning in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment case.

During the hearing, senior advocate Sandesh J Chouta, representing Parvathi, argued that she had already surrendered the sites in question and had never benefited from any alleged illegal proceeds.

He also questioned the ED’s jurisdiction, arguing that the agency launched its investigation solely based on a hastily filed FIR by the Lokayukta.

He contended that the ED was overstepping its mandate by attempting to probe the predicate offence, which was already under investigation by the relevant anti-corruption authorities.

He challenged the ED’s claim that its probe extended beyond the 14 sites, calling it an attempt to expand the case beyond its original scope.

Earlier in February, the Lokayukta police probing the MUDA site allotment case said that the charges against Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi could not be proved for want of evidence.

On February 20, they also submitted an 11,000-page final report in the MUDA site allotment case to the court.

The probing officers said they had submitted the final report to the high court.

"Since the above allegations against accused-1 to accused-4 in the case have not been proven due to lack of evidence, the final report is being submitted to the High Court," the Lokayukta police said in a letter to activist Snehamayi Krishna, who is a complainant in the MUDA case.

Besides Siddaramaiah and his wife, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and the land owner Devaraju are also the accused.