New Delhi: Even as the central agencies’ action against top Karnataka Congress leader, D.K. Shivakumar has led to his judicial custody at Delhi’s Tihar jail this week, former state chief minister and Congress strongman Siddaramaiah is facing legal action in a two-decade-old case.
According to reports from the state, on September 20, Siddaramaiah filed a writ petition in the Karnataka high court seeking relief from trial.
The case is related to the de-notification of 535 acres of land for Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) layout under the government’s Vijay Nagar second stage development plan in 1981. From it, some land was sold by landowners to builders. In 1998, when Siddaramaiah was the state deputy chief minister, 30 guntas of land were de-notified in favour of a landowner by the name of Papanna as part of the development plan.
As per reports, ten guntas out of that land was purchased by Siddaramaiah to build a house, which he sold in 2004. In June 2018, RTI activist N. Gangaraju lodged a land encroachment complaint against Siddaramaiah and three officers of MUDA at Mysuru’s Lakshmipuram police station.
Reports quoted Gangaraju stating that Siddaramaiah took up 120 feet to build the house while he was allocated 103 feet. The activist had met the state governor too in April 2018 in that regard.
“In May [2018], he [the governor] gave me a letter telling me that I can approach the court directly with my petition. I went to the court on June 4 and June 6, the court ordered for an FIR to be filed,” he told The News Minute.
The FIR, among other Sections of the IPC, included 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 166 (public servant disobeying law).
As per a Deccan Herald report, the police, following investigation based on the FIR, filed a ‘B report’. However, the special court for trial of MLAs and MPs rejected the report and decided to issue summons to Siddaramaiah. The special court asked him to present himself at the court on September 26.
The September 20 petition of Siddaramaiah at the high court is to seek relief from this order. Reports said it will be heard on September 22.