Enforcement Directorate challenges Lokayukta ‘B Report’ in High Court

Siddaramaiah’s 14 MUDA sites case

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the Mysuru Lokayukta’s ‘B Report’ (closure report) that cleared former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family in the erstwhile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 50:50 site allotment case.

The plea challenges the Trial Court’s (Special Court for Elected Representatives) acceptance of the ‘B Report.’ Appearing before Justice M. Nagaprasanna, the ED argued that the Lokayukta investigation had failed to examine several crucial aspects, particularly those highlighted by the central agency.

Siddaramaiah, his wife B.M. Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjunaswamy and landowner J. Devaraju have been named as accused in the case.

Activist Snehamayi Krishna told the High Court that the Trial Court, while accepting the ‘B Report,’ had recorded findings in its order that were contrary to the contents of the report.

Krishna’s Counsel submitted that the ‘B Report’ stated that no spot inspection had been conducted and that development activity had taken place on the land. However, while accepting the report, the Trial Court recorded that a spot inspection had been conducted and that no development activity had taken place.

Lokayukta credibility questioned

Referring to the ED’s written synopsis, the Counsel submitted that the agency itself had stated that the closure report concerning Accused Nos. 1 to 4 was not in accordance with law. The Lokayukta investigation had also failed to consider evidence shared by the ED on various aspects of the case, the Counsel submitted. According to the Counsel, the ED had specifically pointed out that the Investigating Officer failed to consider “substantial evidence” relating to alleged irregularities in the denotification process involving 3 acres and 16 guntas of land.

The ED contended that the alleged illegal denotification and unlawful land conversion had not been properly investigated. The agency told the Court that these omissions undermined the credibility of the Lokayukta’s findings.

The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing at 2.30 pm today.

Blame on officials

Earlier, on Feb. 12, 2025, the Mysuru Lokayukta Police had submitted a ‘B Report’ before the Special Court for Elected Representatives, stating that Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi and others had no role in the irregularities. The report concluded that the lapses were committed by officials and not by the former CM or his family. The case relates to 3 acres and 16 guntas of land in Sy. No. 464 owned by Parvathi at Kesare in Mysuru. MUDA had acquired the land and, in exchange, allotted 14 developed residential sites at upscale areas to her.

The Lokayukta investigation had noted that Siddaramaiah, who was Chief Minister at the time, had not interfered in the allotment process and that his family had not exerted influence to obtain the sites.