‘We have full confidence in Lokayukta justice’: Pralhad Joshi after B-report submitted in MUDA case

BENGALURU: After Mysuru Lokayukta SP Udesh submitted an interim 8,000-page B-report on Thursday before the special court for elected representatives in connection with the MUDA scam case, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed his confidence in the Lokayukta justice (former judge).

#WATCH | Union Minister Pralhad Joshi says, “…We have full confidence of the Lokayukta justice. We have full confidence where former judges are there… If Siddaramaiah wants to come clean, either, he should hand it over to CBI otherwise, a High Court monitoring investigation… pic.twitter.com/0x7IGri4Ms

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025

The Union Minister said, “I had told about the MUDA scam, when it was handed over to the Lokayukta police for inquiry/investigation. I am making my statement very clear…We have full confidence of the Lokayukta justice. We have full confidence where former judges are there… There is one Lokayukta and two Upa Lokayuktas who are retired judges. Whereas the others, the police officers who have investigated, they have been transferred/given posting by the same Siddaramaiah. We cannot expect fair inquiry into the issue. This is an eyewash. I would only suggest that if Siddaramaiah wants to come clean, either he should hand it over to CBI, otherwise high court-monitored investigation should be done”.

Karnataka | MUDA Scam case | Advocate Vasanth Kumar says, “We expected this B report by the Lokayukta. That’s why we went to the High Court seeking a CBI enquiry in the case. Lokayukta’s report raises many questions. Why did they submit the B report before the full and final… https://t.co/qs2aTXYk3R pic.twitter.com/fHLMWoAwLU

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025

Meanwhile, advocate Vasanth Kumar raised questions over the submission of interim 8,000-page B-report by Lokayukta SP Udesh. The advocate said, “We expected this B-report by the Lokayukta. That’s why we went to the High Court seeking a CBI enquiry in the case. The Lokayukta police report raises many questions. Why did they submit the B-report before the full and final enquiry? This shows that it’s a prejudiced report. As per CrPC 173, if the investigation authority submits the final report, they must give a copy to the petitioner as well, but we did not get a copy of the report. On February 24, we will see the report then we will see what legal options we have to appeal the court in the MUDA case. We will challenge the report submitted by locals and we will prove the allegations against the 4 accused, including CM Siddaramaiah…”

Karnataka Lokayukta SP Udesh submitted an interim 8,000-page B Report in connection with the MUDA scam case. Speaking on the development, Lokayukta SP Udesh said, “The investigation is progressing as per procedure. The documents submitted form a crucial part of the enquiry”.

Earlier, the Lokayukta police issued a notice to complainant Snehamayi Krishna stating that the allegations in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence. According to the notice, Snehamayi Krishna’s complaint invoked multiple legal provisions, including the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Karnataka Land Acquisition Act.

However, after reviewing the evidence, 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 notice, issued by Lokayukta SP Udesh, declares the case “not actionable”, leading to the submission of a final report to the competent court. (ANI)