A special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday accepted a ‘B’ report filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police, giving a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife B.M. Parvathi in a case alleging corruption and irregularities in the allotment of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites.
The court cleared the Chief Minister and his wife of allegations related to the allotment of 14 residential sites, collectively valued at around ₹56 crore, to Ms. Parvathi by MUDA.
The order was passed by Santosh Gajanan Bhat, Judge of the Special Court of Sessions for Criminal Cases against former and present MPs and MLAs. The court also rejected a protest petition filed by Mysuru-based social activist Snehamayi Krishna, who had questioned the findings of the Lokayukta police investigation.
The complaint had alleged that the allotment of MUDA sites to Ms. Parvathi involved abuse of official position and procedural violations. However, after examining the investigation report, the court found no material to establish criminal misconduct or corruption on the part of the Chief Minister or his wife, and held that there were no grounds to proceed further against them.
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The case has its origins in a complaint filed in 2024, following which the Karnataka Governor, on August 19 that year, granted sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, permitting an investigation against Mr. Siddaramaiah. Section 17A mandates prior approval for probe into decisions taken by public servants in discharge of official duties.
Subsequently, on September 24, 2024, the High Court of Karnataka upheld the Governor’s sanction, observing that the allegations raised warranted investigation. Acting on the High Court’s direction, the special court on September 25, 2024, ordered the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to register a First Information Report and conduct a detailed probe into the allegations.
Following months of investigation, the Lokayukta police submitted a ‘B’ report, concluding that no prosecutable offence was made out against the accused. A ‘B’ report is filed when investigating agencies find allegations to be baseless or unsupported by evidence.
While accepting the report, the court clarified that investigation against other accused named in the case would continue, in accordance with law.
The verdict is seen as significant political relief for Mr. Siddaramaiah, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintained that the allegations were politically motivated.
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