Deputy CM Shivakumar welcomes HC decision quashing ED summons in MUDA case

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has welcomed the Karnataka High Court’s decision to quash the summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, calling the land allotment case “politically motivated”.

“We have been fighting for justice and will accept whatever the law states. I have been saying from the beginning that this is politically motivated”, Shivakumar said.

Speaking on the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project, the Deputy CM stated that he plans to visit Delhi on March 18 to secure the necessary approvals for bringing water to districts in the state.

“The Forest Department is not allowing the work to proceed, but we have provided an alternative location. Now, we have conducted a meeting with the Irrigation and Forest Departments. On March 18, I will be going to Delhi to get the necessary approvals. We will definitely bring water to Tumakuru district and from there to Chikkaballapur and Kolar”, Shivakumar added.

On Friday, the Karnataka High Court quashed the summons issued by the ED to CM Siddaramiah’s wife, Parvathi, and Minister Suresh in connection with the MUDA case. The judgement pronounced by High Court Justice M Nagaprasanna comes as a huge relief to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Parvathi and Minister Byrathi Suresh had approached the High Court to appeal for cancelling ED summons in connection with the MUDA scam. The petition demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was also dismissed by the High Court, saying that it was not required given that another agency (Lokayukta) was conducting an enquiry.

Earlier, Mysuru Lokayukta SP Udesh submitted an interim 8,000-page B-report in connection with the MUDA scam case. The notice, issued by Udesh, declares the case “not actionable,” leading to the submission of a final report to the competent court.

The Lokayukta concluded that the allegations against the four accused individuals were either civil in nature, outside the scope of a criminal investigation, or based on misinterpretations of legal provisions.

The Karnataka Lokayukta Police had issued a notice to complainant Snehamayi Krishna stating that the allegations in the MUDA scam case could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence. (ANI)