K'taka cabinet accepts Desai panel report giving 'clean chit' to Siddaramaiah, family in MUDA case

Bengaluru, Sep 4 (PTI) Karnataka cabinet on Thursday accepted Justice P N Desai Commission report giving a "clean chit" to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family in a case about alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The Commission, headed by the former judge of the Karnataka High Court had submitted its report to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh on July 31.

"We (the government) had constituted Justice P N Desai's one man Commission, which has submitted its report in two volumes. The report makes it clear that there is no truth in allegations made against the chief minister and his family. It has also asked for action against certain officials on various accounts. We (the cabinet) have accepted the report and its recommendations," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.

Speaking to reporters about the cabinet decisions, he said a clean chit has been given to the CM and his family.

Though the contents of the report was not immediately shared, according to officials, the Commission has exonerated Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi B M, citing no illegality in the allotment of 14 plots (to Parvathi) in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land at the Kesare village in Mysuru, which was allegedly used up by MUDA to form a layout.

The Commission had also inquired into allegations of illegalities in the MUDA between 2006 and July 2024.

In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru (Vijayanagar Layout 3rd and 4th stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.

It was also alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over the 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.

Lokayukta Police had earlier given a clean-chit to Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, and two other accused in connection with the case, stating that allegations against them have not been proven due to lack of evidence.

Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law B M Mallikarjun Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police.

Meanwhile, a report by Justice H N Nagamohan Das Commission, which inquired into alleged discrepancies in the works taken up by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) between 2019-20 and 2022-23, when BJP was in power, was placed before the cabinet.

The Commission headed by the former judge of the Karnataka High Court had submitted its report of 8,900 pages to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 30.

"The H N Nagamohan Das Commission report was placed before the cabinet, but because of paucity of time, we could not go into it. It will be discussed in the next cabinet," Patil said.

According to sources, the report has found certain irregularities and has recommended action against certain officials and contractors. PTI KSU KH