The Lakshmipuram police here have registered an FIR against the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and three others in connection with an alleged land scam as directed by a city court. “We have registered an FIR as per the court’s directions,” said a senior police official.
The Principal Senior Civil Judge and Chief Judicial Magistrate in Mysuru had recently directed the Lakshmipuram police to register an FIR against Mr. Siddaramaiah, Commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) P.S. Kantharaju and former MUDA chairpersons C. Basave Gowda and D. Dhruva Kumar on a private complaint filed by RTI activist N. Gangaraju.
Mr. Gangaraju’s contention is that Mr. Siddaramaiah, when he was the Deputy Chief Minister in 1997, had purchased 10 guntas of land in the midst of Vijayanagar 2nd Stage layout developed by MUDA “through indirect denotification”, built a house and sold it in 2003. The complainant had also alleged that Mr. Siddaramaiah, using his influence, had secured various clearances needed for the land.
But, Congress leaders in Mysuru have dismissed the charges against Mr. Siddaramaiah as “baseless”, which will not stand legal scrutiny.
Mysuru Rural District Congress president B.J. Vijaykumar said the complaint against Mr. Siddaramaiah was merely an attempt to defame him. There is no irregularity in Mr. Siddaramaiah purchasing the land in 1997 and selling it in 2003, he said, and added that the former Chief Minister had served the public honestly without a blemish. “This is only an attempt to tarnish his image,” he added.
Dr. Vijaykumar said the party unit was considering a proposal to file a defamation case against the complainant.
