New Delhi: The Karnataka council of ministers, led by deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday (August 1), has decided to strongly advise governor Thawar Chand Gehlot to withdraw the show-cause notice issued to chief minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam. The government has termed the notice as “political” with mala fide intentions, citing violation of several judgments.
Shivakumar expressed confidence that the governor would withdraw the notice, given the detailed reply submitted by the government, The Indian Express reported.
“We are confident that the Governor will be sensible as we have sent a detailed reply,” Shivakumar was quoted as saying by IE, adding that the notice was in violation of several judgments. Further, the deputy chief minister told media persons that the show-cause notice was “political” with mala fide intentions, as per the report.
The controversy surrounds a complaint filed by activist T.J. Abraham, seeking sanction for prosecution against Siddaramaiah on July 26 (Friday) at around 11 am. The government responded to the complaint, but the governor issued a notice shortly after receiving a report from the chief secretary on Friday itself.
The governor’s move reflected “undue haste” and “gross misuse of the Constitutional Office of the Governor,” as per the government.
The council of ministers has also pointed out that the governor should have acted on the aid and advice of the council, rather than exercising discretion.
“The entire sequence of events and the admitted facts and circumstances based on available records lead to an unequivocal conclusion that there is gross misuse of the Constitutional Office of the Governor and a concerted effort is being (made) to destabilise a lawfully elected majority government in Karnataka for political considerations,” the decision taken by the council of minister reads, as per the report.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah is facing heat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims that his wife B.M. Parvathi gained undue advantages from MUDA’s actions. The saffron party alleges that MUDA’s encroachment on Parvathi’s land to develop layouts was followed by suspicious transactions, including an questionable land purchase by her brother and the allocation of compensatory sites by MUDA in exchange for the land, which they claim was done irregularly.
The state government, however, maintains that the compensation issued was as per prescribed rules, with no irregularity in the process.
Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda has termed the notice “anti-constitutional,” stating that the activist has no right to seek prosecution sanction, especially when a judicial probe is underway.
“This is not only political, but also anti-constitutional,” Gowda was quoted as saying by IE.
“The activist does not have the right to seek prosecution sanction, especially when a judicial probe was underway over the issue. Only an investigating officer can seek the same based on the complaint Abraham has filed. If he was not happy with the probe, he could have approached a magistrate seeking intervention in the case,” Gowda added.