MUDA case: HC to hear today CM Siddaramaiah’s plea against Governor's order
Bengaluru, Aug 29 : The Karnataka High Court will on Thursday take up Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's writ petition challenging the order of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot giving sanction for investigation against him in connection with irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
CM Siddaramaiah had previously received temporary relief from the court. The High Court had directed the lower court not to take any decision until August 29.
Three petitioners against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case are set to submit the letter of consent from the Governor for prosecution and plead for filing an FIR against him in the lower court. Two petitioners have also filed private complaints against CM Siddaramaiah in court.
The Governor gave consent for prosecution on August 17. Following CM Siddaramaiah’s writ petition challenging the order, the High Court took up the matter for hearing on August 19. The CM was represented by senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The Chief Minister has sought interim relief as well as the quashing of the Governor’s order, calling it unconstitutional.
After receiving temporary relief, the Karnataka CM stated, "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. 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."
On the other hand, petitioners T.J. Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna, and S.P. Pradeep Kumar had maintained that they are confident of getting a ruling against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case and that the Karnataka High Court's temporary relief "won't change anything".
The Congress party announced a “Raj Bhavan Chalo” agitation against the Governor on August 31, condemning his move to sanction prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah and pressuring him to give sanction for prosecution in cases against BJP leaders pending before him.
The Congress has also planned to meet the President if the court’s decision goes against CM Siddaramaiah. The BJP, on the other hand, has declared that it will not rest until CM Siddaramaiah steps down from his post.