MUDA case: Court to decide on closure report against Siddaramaiah after Lokayukta probe
Bengaluru: The Special Court for MLAs and MPs Tuesday said that the decision on the closure report against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be taken only after the completion of the Lokayukta probe.
The court’s order came on the Enforcement Directorate’s objection to the closure report in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case involving CM Siddaramaiah, his wife and others.
The court stated that Lokayukta has not completed the probe. The court further directed the Lokayukta to submit its final report after completing the investigation May 7.
“On one hand, the Lokayukta has filed a closure report, while on the other hand, it states that the investigation has to be continued. Hence, let the investigation be completed,” the court said.
“It is appropriate to consider the objection plea once the investigation is completed,” the court stated.
The court further ruled that the ED can file an objection plea in the case challenging the Lokayukta investigation. The counsel for the Lokayukta had maintained that the ED cannot be an aggrieved party in the case.
Earlier, following the conclusion of arguments and counterarguments, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat April 9 had reserved the matter for judgment for today.
The ED challenged the Karnataka Lokayukta’s closure report by filing a petition in the Special Court.
The ED urged the court not to accept the closure report filed by Karnataka Lokayukta and issue necessary directions as deemed fit for investigation in the case.
The ED, while presenting its arguments in connection with the MUDA case at the Special Court for MLAs and MPs in Bengaluru, appealed to the court that the accused involved in money laundering should not be let off easily.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been named the prime accused in the MUDA case; his wife, Parvati, is the second accused, and his brother-in-law, Mallikarjunaswamy, is the third.
The Karnataka Lokayukta had earlier submitted a closure report citing a lack of evidence against them.
Senior counsel Madhukar Deshpande, appearing for the ED in the court, had said: “The Karnataka Lokayukta has submitted a ‘B Report’ against the four accused in the MUDA scam. Therefore, the ED has the right to question this closure report. The Supreme Court has stated that those involved in money laundering should not be let off easily.”
The counsel said the ED had shared all the details of its investigation into the MUDA case with the Lokayukta Police, but those findings were not taken into consideration, adding that the report shared by the ED will also be submitted to the court.
IANS
News