Overview
- The Enforcement Directorate has asked the Karnataka High Court to quash a special court’s acceptance of the Lokayukta’s “B” closure report in the MUDA sites case and to restart the probe against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family.
- The agency calls the January 28 order inconsistent because it cleared alleged beneficiaries yet kept the inquiry open against Mysuru Urban Development Authority officials.
- In its plea, the ED says it gave Lokayukta police five sets of material under PMLA Section 66(2), including 2003 satellite images of work on the land, WhatsApp chats about alleged pressure on MUDA staff, and statements from ex-commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar.
- The case stems from claims that MUDA illegally granted 14 compensatory sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife after land denotification in Kesare, and an FIR followed in September 2024 with the ED opening a money-laundering probe in October 2024.
- A separate petition by original complainant Snehamayi Krishna is before the High Court, and the ED filing could lead to directions on whether all accused, not only MUDA officials, must face continued investigation.