MUDA ’scam’: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah moves HC against governor’s nod for his prosecution

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday moved High Court challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's order to prosecute him in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam case.

In a writ petition, the CM requested for cancellation of permission given to the prosecution. A single-judge bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar is scheduled to hear the plea today.

Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said, “I haven't done anything wrong.”

In the writ petition, the CM said, an injunction to the prosecution is sought as an interim relief. Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi will argue his writ petition.

“My conscience is clear, I have done nothing wrong. I have been a minister for 40 years and there is not a single black spot in my political life during this period,” Siddaramaiah said.

"I am engaged in the service of people with their blessings. My political life is like an open book. The people of the state also know that I have not done anything wrong," he added.

Notably, Congress leader Ramesh Babu has also written to President Droupadi Murmu, requesting her immediate intervention in the matter.

He has also claimed that the governor's decision is unjust and politically motivated, "that threatens the very essence of our democracy and the constitutional values upon which our great nation is built." 

The Governor of Karnataka, Babu said in his letter, “in a move that is unconstitutional”, has granted sanction for the prosecution of Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah.

He said the governor's action, taken on the day following the Independence Day celebrations, is not just a direct attack on the elected government of Karnataka, but a calculated conspiracy to destabilize a government that has been mandated by the people of Karnataka.

Babu said that it is a "political vendetta and misuse of the Governor's office."

He also claimed that the Governor's decision is “influenced by the Central government's political interests”. 

"The BJP and its allies including the JD(S) have misused the Governor's office to orchestrate a vendetta against the Chief Minister, who has led a government that has consistently worked for the welfare of the people," he said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress workers held a protest after the state Governor granted permission to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in an alleged MUDA scam.

The MUDA scam surfaced after social activist Snehamayi Krishna filed a complaint against Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from MUDA.