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Journalism of Courage
The case diary of the Karnataka Lokayukta police – pertaining to a probe conducted so far into allegations of illegal allotment of housing sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to the family of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah – has been sought by a special court for elected representatives to ascertain the progress in investigations.
The special court, which had earlier set December 18 as a deadline for the Karnataka Lokayukta police to submit their final report in the probe of the allegations of illegal allotment of 14 housing sites to the family of Siddaramaiah, Thursday asked for the case diary after the Lokayukta police sought time, stating that they were awaiting government sanction for prosecution.
While posting the matter for hearing to December 23, the court said, “learned SPP is hereby directed to furnish CD files on or before the next date of hearing and in the meantime the complainant or ED can file rejoinders if any.”
“The learned SPP of Karnataka Lokayukta has filed a status report in the case and has submitted that necessary sanction order is required to be obtained and the investigation is in the last stage,” the court noted on Thursday on the basis of a submission by the Lokayukta police.
The Lokayukta police submission was opposed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, the complainant in the case, who argued that the police had not made any progress in the probe.
The special public prosecutor (SPP), however, countered the arguments of Krishna, saying the state was “ready to furnish the final copy of the report in a sealed cover” and to file the CD files to prove that the police arguments were credible.
“Since the investigating agency has not placed any materials with respect to further investigation, the court will have to proceed on the basis of the report which is already filed before this court,” the special court said while seeking the case diary files.
Case history
On October 9, the special court had sought completion in two months of the investigations by the Lokayukta police into a private complaint filed by Krishna over the alleged illegal allotment of 14 sites by MUDA in 2021 to the current Karnataka CM’s wife in exchange for a 3.16-acre property wrongfully acquired by MUDA.
The Lokayukta police had filed a closure report or ‘B’ report in the MUDA land allotment case in February 2025, citing the lack of evidence to establish the allegations of Krishna that Siddaramaiah profited to the tune of Rs 56 crore after his wife received 14 housing sites from MUDA in 2021 in exchange for the 3.16-acre plot.
In April this year, the special court kept a decision on the acceptance or rejection of the closure report (B report) filed by the Lokayukta police in abeyance. The court, however, allowed the Lokayukta police to continue their probe in the case till the filing of the final report of all investigations as sought by the Lokayukta police.
The special court also said in April that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which filed a protest petition against the Lokayukta police closure report in the case, can also continue its investigations with respect to a Prevention of Money Laundering Act registered by it over the MUDA land allotments scam.
Following the controversy over the allotment of the 14 housing sites, the Karnataka CM’s wife returned the 14 housing sites to the MUDA last year.
On November 14, the ED filed a prosecution complaint against former MUDA commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar in connection with the alleged illegal allotment of MUDA land.
“The evidence and documents collected during the course of investigation in this case have indicated active involvement of G T Dinesh Kumar in the comprehensive money laundering scheme perpetrated at MUDA, Mysuru during his tenure as commissioner,” the ED has stated.
The former MUDA commissioner has moved the Karnataka High Court to challenge the ED case.
