Karnataka HC stays ED notice to CM Siddaramaiah's wife, Minister Byrathi in MUDA land allotment scam

The ED attached 142 immovable properties worth Rs 300 crore recently under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the MUDA case.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
Karnataka Chief Minister SiddaramaiahFile photo
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BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to B M Parvathy, wife of Siddaramaiah and Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning Byrathi Suresh in connection with the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 compensatory sites to Parvathy by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the interim order staying the summons issued by the ED to Parvathy, one of the accused in the case registered by the Lokayukta police, to appear on Tuesday and Byrathi Suresh to appear on Monday, to record their statements. This was after hearing the two separate petitions filed by the duo questioning the legality of the summons issued by the ED.

The senior counsels C V Nagesh, Sandesh Chouta and Vikram Huilgol, representing Parvathy and Byrathi Suresh, argued that the coordinate bench of the high court quashed the proceedings against the official of MUDA in similar circumstances. Also, they have argued that the high court has reserved the verdict on the petition seeking directions to hand over the case being investigated by the Lokayukta police into the MUDA case to the CBI.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
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Opposing the petitioners' plea to stay the summons, Additional Solicitor General of India, Arvind Kamath, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), argued that there are no hurdles for the investigating agency to record the accused's statements and collect the evidence.

Recording their submissions, the court said that the summons were issued to the petitioners in the predicate offence of the case registered by the Lokayukta police. If the ED is allowed to go ahead with the summons, the proceedings before the high court which reserved the verdict on the plea seeking CBI probe would undoubtedly frustrate. There should be an interim order of stay for the summons issued till February 10, the next date of hearing, the court said.

The ED attached 142 immovable properties worth Rs 300 crore recently under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the MUDA case.

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