Karnataka: Governor sanctions prosecution of CM Siddaramaiah in site allotment case
Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in an alleged plot allotment scam, plunging the state government into a crisis and sparking a war of words between the Congress and BJP.
The CM rejected demands for his resignation and announced he would fight the case legally. He also accused the Governor’s office of working at the best of the BJP.
The Congress and ministers threw their weight behind Siddaramaiah in a show of support.
Siddaramaiah is battling charges of his family accepting 14 pricey plots in an upscale residential area in Mysuru in return for 3.16 acres of land that Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) acquired at Kesare village on the city outskirts.
The Governor's order of sanction came in response to requests from activists TJ Abraham, Pradeep Kumar SP and Snehamayi Krishna. The Governor issued a seven-page order highlighting the complaint and the grounds for his decision to permit prosecution of the CM.
«It is well settled legal principle that the person against who, allegations are made, should not be empowered to decide the course of action. Even after such grave allegations being involved in the present matter and the fact that the materials prima facie supports the allegations, therefore, the decision taken by the Council of Ministers is irrational,» the Governor said, explaining why he was rejecting the August 1 resolution of the Council of Ministers. The Council had, on August 1, passed a resolution urging the Governor to withdraw the show-cause notice issued to the CM
