ED Files Money Laundering Case Against K’taka CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA Land Scam

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with others, in connection with a money laundering case tied to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam. The ED’s move follows a recent FIR by the state Lokayukta police.

Siddaramaiah, his wife BM Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju — the land seller to Swamy — are among those named in the FIR filed by the Mysuru Lokayukta police on September 27. The FIR came after a Bengaluru special court ordered an investigation into the allegations.

The High Court had earlier upheld the Governor’s sanction to probe the alleged irregularities, which involved the allotment of 14 MUDA sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife. Following this, the ED invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to file an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against the accused.

The ED is empowered to summon Siddaramaiah and others for questioning and can seize assets if required during the investigation.

Siddaramaiah, 76, responded to the allegations, claiming political vendetta, asserting this is the first political case against him, and he would not resign. He has vowed to contest the case legally and maintained his innocence.