BENGALURU: In a big relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife BM Parvathy and Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning Byrathi Suresh, the High Court of Karnataka on Friday quashed the proceedings of money laundering initiated against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 compensatory sites to Parvathy by MUDA.
Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the petitions filed separately by Parvathy and Suresh questioning the legality of the proceedings initiated by the ED.
‘HC followed order passed by single judge’
The ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Parvathy and Suresh under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act and issuing summons to them on January 3 and January 22, respectively, to appear before the investigation officer for recording their statements.
The ED registered the case based on the FIR filed by the Lokayukta police following an order of a special court to probe the alleged irregularities in allotment of sites. “The petitions are allowed and quashed,” said Justice Nagaprasanna while pronouncing the orders. The jud ge, however, orally observed that the court has followed extensively the order passed by another single judge, who had quashed the ED’s summons and recorded statements of DB Natesh, former commissioner of MUDA. The reasoned order is yet to be made available.
After concluding the arguments, the court reserved the order on February 20. During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsels contended that there must be a clear element of laundering of proceeds of crime. But no such elements were found in the allotment of sites by MUDA to initiate proceedings under PMLA.
The high court recently dismissed the petition filed by complainant Snehamayi Krishna seeking transfer of investigation from Lokayukta police to CBI. Meanwhile, Lokayukta police filed a ‘B’ report (closure report) in the case registered against Siddaramaiah, his wife and brother-in-law and the same was questioned
MUDA case: Snehamayi files petition against closure report
Bengaluru: Complainant Snehamayi Krishna has filed a petition before the Special Court for Trial of Criminal Cases against sitting and former legislators challenging the ‘B’ report (closure report) submitted by the Lokayukta police into the alleged irregularities in the allotment of compensatory sites to B M Parvathy, wife of CM Siddaramaiah, by the MUDA. Krishna, who was permitted by the court to argue as a party-in-person, filed the petition in support of his contentions against the closure report.
He also filed the requisition before Special Court Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, requesting directions to the Lokayukta to conduct an investigation. In response, Special Public Prosecutor Venkatesh Arabatti, representing the Lokayukta police, submitted that the Lokayukta police would conduct an investigation if it is directed by the court.
For further submissions by the complainant, the court adjourned the hearing to March 18. The Lokayukta police filed the ‘B’ report into the case registered against Siddaramaiah, his wife, her brother Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraj, the original owner of the land, in response to the order passed by the special court.