A Special Court on Wednesday ordered Lokayukta police probe against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case. The court also directed the police to file the investigation report by December 24.  The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on

the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife BM Parvathi by MUDA.

Reacting to the Special Court order, Siddaramaiah reiterated that he was ready to face an investigation. “Already I have said that I am ready to face an investigation. I am not afraid of a probe,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here. “I am ready for a legal fight. I had said this yesterday and I am reiterating it today as well.”

The Special Court deals exclusively with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/ MLAs issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.

The Court issued directions to take up investigation under section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (that gives a magistrate the power to order an investigation into a cognisable offense.)

The HC had dismissed Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the legality of the Governor’s August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.

In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah’s wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been “acquired” by the 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 is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba Hobli of Mysuru taluk.

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) in Karnataka sought to step up its demand for Siddaramaiah’s resignation. Holding posters, placards and raising slogans, members of BJP Yuva Morcha marched towards Chief Minister’s residence ‘Cauvery’, but the police thwarted their attempt, took them into preventive custody and whisked them away in a bus. Leaders and workers of the JD(S), an NDA partner, headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, staged a demonstration at the Freedom Park here before proceeding to ‘Cauvery’ but were stopped by police.