MUDA site allotment issue: ED files case against CM Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday registered an ECIR in the MUDA site allotment case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This comes on the back of the Lokayukta police FIR in which the CM has been named as the first accused.

On Saturday, social activist Snehamayi Krishna had emailed the requisite documents to the ED and after perusing them, the ED filed the ECIR based on the Lokayukta FIR. The development comes as a setback for Siddaramaiah who has been insisting that no wrong was committed in the MUDA site allotment issue.

The Lokayukta FIR has named Siddaramaiah as the first accused, his wife Parvathi and the second accused, brother-in-law Mallikarjun as the third accused and purported previous land owner Devaraj as the fourth accused in the MUDA case.

The CM has been accusing the Centre of ‘misusing’ central agencies to target opposition leaders. This will be the first time in his long political career that Siddaramaiah will be facing any investigating agency. The development also comes as an embarrassment for the Congress leadership which is busy campaigning for Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and ahead of the byelection in Channapatna. Maharashtra also will be witnessing Assembly elections soon.