Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday moved the High Court challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision to grant sanction to prosecute him in an alleged corruption case, Live Law reported.
The petition was listed before a single-judge bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar, who said the matter would be heard on Monday or Tuesday.
The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value housing sites in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, in 2021 by the Mysore Urban Development Authority under a state government scheme.
This was allegedly done in exchange for 3.16 acres of land that Parvathi owned in another part of the city. The land was allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.
Siddaramaiah claimed that the governor’s decision was part of a concerted effort to destabilise the Congress government in Karnataka, according to Live Law.
The chief minister argued that the order for grant of prosecution was issued without application of mind and that it violates the constitutional principle of governors acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
The Congress leader argued that the sanction order was based on an application by activist TJ Abraham, whose conduct and motives “have been called into question on numerous occasions, including by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India”.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) have demanded that Siddaramaiah resign from his post in light of the corruption allegations.
The chief minister has denied the allegations and refused to resign. He claimed that the Mysuru Urban Development Authority legally allotted the 14 housing sites to his wife in exchange for having “illegally” acquired her land without following due process, reported The Hindu.