Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his satisfaction with the Karnataka High Court’s interim order directing a special court in Bengaluru to halt further proceedings on the complaints concerning alleged irregularities in site allocations by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
In a post on the social media platform X, the Karnataka CM shared, “As a law-abiding citizen with faith in the Constitution and the judiciary’s power to uphold justice and fairness, I approached the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka against the illegal and politically motivated decision of the Governor of Karnataka to permit an inquiry and prosecution based on trumped-up allegations against me.”
He continued, “I am pleased that the Hon’ble High Court heard the matter and passed interim orders directing the concerned court to defer the proceedings and further instructing that no precipitative action be taken pursuant to the impugned sanction,” he said.
“I am grateful to the Hon’ble High Court and remain confident that ultimately, the truth will prevail,” CM Siddaramaiah added.
Conversely, petitioners T.J. Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna, and S.P. Pradeep Kumar expressed their belief to IANS that they will secure a ruling against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case, and that the High Court’s decision on Monday “won’t change anything.”
Senior counsel and activist T.J. Abraham expressed his satisfaction with the High Court’s decision, noting,“The court has just asked the Special Court to defer the case… We had to get a copy of the writ petition submitted by the CM from journalists in the morning and place our arguments. After obtaining the copy of the order, we will file objections. It doesn’t alter anything and we will proceed.”
Activist Snehamayi Krishna added, “I am confident that we will receive a favorable judgment and that CM Siddaramaiah will face consequences.”
Senior counsel Siji Malayil commented on the situation, suggesting that the court’s order has alleviated concerns about filing an FIR and arrest until further notice. The matter remains sub judice, and the future developments cannot be predicted.
Legal experts noted that the sanction granted by Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot only allows for an investigation into CM Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, but does not permit prosecution under the Act.
Should the investigation result in a charge sheet against CM Siddaramaiah, a separate sanction is required for prosecution under Section 19 (prior sanction for prosecution) of the PC Act, they clarified.
Currently, the Governor's sanction is confined to Section 17A of the PC Act, which authorizes the investigating agency to proceed with the investigation.
Additionally, the Governor has sanctioned CM Siddaramaiah’s prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. This section allows any court to take cognizance of the alleged offenses under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, based on the evidence presented, without necessitating an investigation, according to legal experts.
On Monday, CM Siddaramaiah received significant relief from the High Court regarding a writ petition aimed at overturning Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot's order that sanctioned an investigation against him.
Following the High Court’s ruling, the Chief Minister gained temporary protection from the risk of an FIR. The court has postponed the matter until August 29, during which time the lower court is prohibited from issuing any orders or directives.
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