Fri Mar 07 13:13:15 UTC 2025: ## Karnataka High Court Quashes ED Summons in MUDA Land Scam Case

**Bengaluru, [Date of Publication]** – The Karnataka High Court delivered a significant blow to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today, quashing summons issued to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi, and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam. Justice M Nagaprasanna’s single-judge bench ruled that the ED’s investigation overlapped with existing inquiries into alleged land irregularities.

The ED’s investigation centers on money laundering allegations related to the MUDA land scam, which involves accusations of irregularities in land allotments between 2016 and 2024. The agency had argued that Ms. Parvathi, listed as the second accused after the Chief Minister in the original case, might have received proceeds of crime. However, the court rejected this argument, upholding its January stay on the summons.

This decision follows a ‘clean chit’ issued last month by the Lokayukta (Karnataka’s anti-corruption watchdog), which found insufficient evidence to proceed with an investigation against the Chief Minister and his wife. The Lokayukta also deemed the complaint unsuitable for criminal charges.

The MUDA land scam, which allegedly cost the state ₹45 crore, involves allegations that 14 plots of land were allotted to Ms. Parvathi in a prime Mysuru neighborhood at a value exceeding that of land acquired by MUDA. While Ms. Parvathi offered to return the land – a move distanced from by the Chief Minister – the controversy persists. The Chief Minister maintains the plots were gifts from his wife’s brother and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The Lokayukta’s decision has sparked a political firestorm between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular). The BJP questioned the clean chit, alleging Congress interference, while the Congress accused the BJP of selective acceptance of Lokayukta rulings. The Chief Minister, meanwhile, has vowed to fight all legal challenges.

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