Karnataka HC Steps In, Temporarily Halts ED's Notice To Siddaramaiah's Wife And Minister Byrathi Suresh

The Karnataka High Court temporarily halted the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) notice to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, and Minister Byrathi Suresh, in relation to the MUDA land allotment scam. This development followed the ED's request for Parvathi and Suresh to appear before the agency on Tuesday.

In a letter to Parvathi, Muralikannan, the Additional Director of the Enforcement Directorate, instructed her to submit relevant evidence and records. He stated that the investigation is being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

He stated that Parvathi's presence was deemed essential to provide evidence and present records related to the ongoing investigation or proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

What is the MUDA Site Allotment Case?

In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allocated to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upscale Mysuru area, which had a higher property value compared to the location of her land that was "acquired" by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Under the MUDA scheme, Parvathi received plots as part of a 50:50 ratio arrangement, in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, on which MUDA developed a residential layout.

The controversial 50:50 scheme allowed MUDA to offer 50 percent of the developed land to landowners as compensation for the undeveloped land acquired from them to create residential layouts.

The controversy deepens with allegations that Parvathi lacked legal ownership of the 3.16 acres at Survey No. 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli in Mysuru taluk.