Last Updated:
The Karnataka High Court has asked the Lokayukta to continue its investigation into the MUDA scam case and sought a report by January 27.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (PTI file photo)
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday lifted the stay on the Lokayukta probe in the MUDA scam case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and directed it to continue its investigation.
The High Court also sought a report from Lokayukta by January 27. It asked the Lokayukta to submit all documents it has collected so far by tomorrow.
The court also directed the anti-corruption authority to file the details of the probe conducted till today.
The court’s remarks came while hearing a plea seeking a direction to transfer the probe into the alleged scam, currently being conducted by the Lokayukta police to the CBI. This comes as the high court in December last year deferred the filing of the Lokayukta’s report against Siddaramaiah and his family, including his wife and brother-in-law in the MUDA scam case.
“Lokayukta to place on record the details of investigation conducted till today. The investigation by Lokayukta shall continue. The investigation will be overseen by the IG of Police of Lokayukta. Report if any shall be filed on next date be perused by him. Report shall be filed a day in advance of the next date of hearing. The pleading shall be completed by the next date,” Justice M Nagaprasanna said.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the petitioner, argued that a suspect or potential accused cannot be made a party to the case. In response, the court observed that the arguments should focus on whether the investigation should be transferred to the CBI.
Singh emphasised the need for a fair and independent investigation that inspires public confidence. He contended that when higher-ranking police officials and politicians are involved, courts have often exercised discretion to ensure impartiality. He also noted that some bureaucratic committees had taken possession of the case records from the Lokayukta.
Following these arguments, the court directed the Lokayukta to continue its investigation and submit a report one day before the next hearing. Advocate Kumar informed the court that the trial court’s deadline for submitting the report is January 28.
The court then stated that it would review the case documents before making a decision and scheduled the next hearing for January 27.
