The Karnataka High Court has stayed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons order to B.M. Parvathi, wife of Minister Siddaramaiah, and Urban Development and Town Planning Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with an alleged land misappropriation scam involving the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
According to media reports by The Hindu, Parvathi, on Monday, was directed to appear in the ED’s regional office in Bengaluru the following day to provide evidence and submit records as part of the investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
Parvathi was previously summoned on October 25, 2024, where she was questioned for more than two hours.
Commenting on this development, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that ED has issued notices to the duo due to a political conspiracy.
Responding to media queries near his residence, Shivakumar said, “This has happened in my case as well. Two agencies can’t investigate the same case simultaneously. The Lokayukta is already investigating this matter. Courts have ruled in many instances that other agencies cannot conduct parallel investigations while the Lokayukta is already handling a case.”
The high court on Saturday had postponed the hearing of appeals filed by the CM, and former Mysuru landowner J. Devaraju in the MUDA case to March 22.
The scam revolves around the alleged misappropriation of land, with Parvathi receiving compensatory plots in a prestigious area of Mysuru, where property values are higher compared to the original location of her land acquired by the MUDA.
MUDA’s allocation of plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 scheme, in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, is now under scrutiny. The authority had developed a residential layout on the acquired land. This scheme has also drawn controversy due to its provision of 50 per cent of the developed land to individuals who lost property in exchange for undeveloped land that was used for layout formation.