Karnataka High Court rejects CM Siddaramaiah's petition challenging Governor's order

In a setback to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed his petition challenging the Governors approval for an investigation against him in a case of site allotment news agency PTI reportedAccording to PTI the Chief Minister had challenged the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlots consent for an investigation against him in connection with alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authoritys MUDA granting of 14 sites to his wife in a prominent locationJustice M Nagaprasannas singlejudge bench concluded the petition hearings in six sittings starting on August 19 on September 12 the bench reserved a decision In addition it had prolonged its interim ruling from August 19 directing the special court for peoples representatives which was scheduled to hear accusations against him in the case to postpone its actions until the petitions resolutionThe facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require investigation in the teeth of the fact that the beneficiary of all these acts is not anybody outside but the family of the petitioner The petition stands dismissed Justice Nagaprasanna ruled as cited by PTIHe said Interim order of any kind subsisting today shall stand dissolvedThe Governor on August 16 granted sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 or the commission of the alleged offences that are mentioned in the petitions submitted to him by complainants Pradeep Kumar S P T J Abraham and Snehamayi KrishnaOn August 19 Siddaramaiah moved to the High Court challenging the legality of the Governors orderAccording to PTI in the petition Siddaramaiah submitted that the sanction order was issued without due application of mind in violation of statutory mandates and contrary to constitutional principles including the advice of the Council of Ministers which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of IndiaSiddaramaiah sought for the Governors ruling to be overturned arguing that the Governor made an illegitimate decision that was legally unsustainable procedurally flawed and motivated by extraneous considerationsWhile noted lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Prof Ravivarma Kumar had appeared for Siddaramaiah the office of the Governor Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty was represented by SolicitorGeneral of India Tushar Mehta who also made his submissionsSenior Advocates Maninder Singh Prabhuling K Navadgi Lakshmi Iyengar Ranganath Reddy and K G Raghavan among others made submissions on behalf of the complainants respondents who had sought the sanction for investigation against SiddaramaiahIn the site allotment case of MUDA it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to B M Parvathi wife of Siddaramaiah in an upmarket area in Mysuru which had a higher property value compared to the location of her land which was acquired by the MUDA PTI reportedThe MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a ratio scheme of 5050 instead of 316 acres of her land where a residential layout was developedUnder the controversial scheme 50 per cent of the developed land was allotted by MUDA to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layoutsIt is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 316 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk PTI reportedWith Inputs from PTI