Siddaramaiah challenges Governor's nod to prosecute him in land scam case in court

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday filed a petition in the High Court against Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's decision to grant sanction to his prosecution over the alleged irregularities in the land allocation by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The High Court has scheduled the matter to be heard at 2:30 pm today. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi will appear on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Gehlot gave the nod to Lokayukta on Saturday to prosecute Siddaramaiah in the alleged land scam case.

Social activists TJ Abraham, Mysore's Snehamai Krishna, and Bangalore's Pradeep Kumar SP had asked for the prosecution's sanction.

Abraham sought the sanction in July, and the Governor issued a show-cause notice to the Chief Minister shortly after.

Siddaramaiah is under the scanner over the alleged irregularities in the compensatory land allocation to his wife by the MUDA during his term as Chief Minister.

Siddaramaiah's brother-in-law, Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, is also alleged to be involved in the alleged land scam. The case involves allegations against top officials of MUDA as well.

The BJP and Congress in Karnataka are clashing over the governor's recent decision, intensifying their political rivalry.

While the BJP is calling for the Chief Minister's resignation over the allegations, the Congress has denied any such move. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah has labelled the charges against him as "politically motivated."

Source: India Today