Karnataka sets up SIT to probe landgrab allegations against Union minister Kumaraswamy and others
The SIT was set up following a contempt petition over the government’s failure to comply with an undertaking it gave the Karnataka HC five years ago to clear encroachments allegedly made by JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and others.
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Kumaraswamy, his close relative and former MLA D C Thamanna, and an aunt of Kumaraswamy were named in the complaint for allegedly encroaching on government land with a market value of over Rs 130 crore at the time. (X/@Kumaraswamy)The Congress government in Karnataka has ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team to probe alleged landgrab by several prominent people—including Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy—in the Ramanagara region, which borders Bengaluru.
The government informed the Karnataka High Court on January 29 about the issuance of an order on January 28 for the creation of an SIT to investigate the alleged landgrab in Ramanagara district. The state made the submission during a hearing of a contempt plea filed against it by an NGO over the failure to recover land identified as being encroached.
Among the land identified based on findings from local authorities as being government property for want of documents of original grants is land reportedly owned by Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy, also a former chief minister, in the Bidadi taluk of the district.
In 2020, following a petition filed by the NGO Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, the government gave an undertaking to the court to recover public land that was allegedly encroached on in Kethiganahalli by influential people. The NGO filed a contempt petition after the state government failed to report compliance with its undertaking to recover the land.
On January 29, a division bench noted during a physical appearance in court by Rajendra Kumar Kataria, principal secretary of the revenue department that “the State Government vide Government Order dated 28.01.2025 has constituted a Special Investigation Team consisting of five members to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the removal of unauthorized encroachments on Government lands in Survey Nos. 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 79 of Bidadi Hobli, Ramanagara District, Ramanagara Taluk”.
The court, however, observed that the SIT was being constituted five years after it was informed that the state would facilitate the removal of encroachments.
“The writ petition was disposed of on 14.01.2020 and almost five years have been completed. But there is no proper progress made by the concerned authorities for compliance with the order passed in the writ petition relating to the aforesaid properties,” the court observed on Friday.
The state submitted that the matter involved intricate policy issues that need to be validated at various levels of the government and that the court must provide time for the process ahead of a compliance report.
While adjourning the case for further hearing on February 21, the court ruled that the state must submit a compliance report in two weeks. “Government order dated 28.01.2025 shall not come in the way of the respondents/accused submitting a compliance report in this contempt proceeding,” it said.
Lokayukta’s 2014 order
On the basis of a complaint of land grabbing filed by the former Mandya MP G Madegowda, the Karnataka Lokayukta sought a report in 2014 from local authorities in the then Bengaluru Rural region on the land records in Kethiganahalli village of Bidadi.
Kumaraswamy, his close relative and former MLA D C Thamanna, and an aunt of Kumaraswamy were named in the complaint for allegedly encroaching on government land with a market value of over Rs 130 crore at the time.
In an order dated August 5, 2014, the Lokayukta ordered the recovery of government land if there were no records of grants in favour of private individuals.
“The Tahsildar himself is one of the persons who has submitted this joint report. It is an admitted fact that these lands bearing ‘sy.nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 19 are the Government lands i.e., gomala. The persons who are found to be in possession of these lands mentioned in Annexure-6 with sketch no. 6 claim that they have purchased these lands from private persons and that some of these lands were gifted to them,” the Lokayukta said in 2014.
The Lokayukta directed a full investigation by revenue officials and stated that “if it is found that such grants of land were not there, then necessary legal steps should be taken for the recovery of the possession of the Government land from the encroachers and also to initiate criminal action against the persons found trespassing the land and against the guilty officers/officials of the government”.
After the state government delayed the implementation of the Lokayukta directions of 2014, the Samaj Parivartana Samuday approached the high court with a writ petition. In an order on January 14, 2020, the court noted a submission from the state advocate-general “that the state will comply with and implement the order dated August 5, 2014, passed by the Karnataka Lokayukta within a period of three months” to dispose of the petition.
In December 2020, the NGO filed a civil contempt of court petition against state government officials over their failure to comply with the August 5, 2014, directions of the Lokayukta, despite the assurances given earlier in the high court.
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