BENGALURU: The Lokayukta police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case. This action follows a directive from a Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday, which ordered a Lokayukta police probe into the allegations against him and others involved in the case.

The order from Special Court Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by MUDA.

The FIR, filed on September 27, 2024, accuses Siddaramaiah and three others of corruption, cheating, and forgery related to the unlawful allotment of land. The charges are serious, encompassing multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 166 (public servant disobeying law), and various sections related to forgery and cheating.

In the FIR, Siddaramaiah has been named as accused number one (A1), his wife B.M. Parvathi as accused number two (A2), brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy as accused number three (A3), and Devaraju as accused number four (A4), from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi.

The case has drawn considerable attention, with allegations suggesting that Siddaramaiah and his wife, Parvathi, were involved in the improper allocation of MUDA sites. The Lokayukta police's investigation is expected to delve deeper into these claims, as the political ramifications of this case could be significant for the current administration.

This development has intensified calls for Siddaramaiah's resignation, as opposition parties led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and various activists demand accountability in light of the serious allegations. The Congress party, led by President Mallikarjun Kharge, has, however, declared that the party stands in solidarity with Siddaramaiah and rejected demands for the CM's resignation.

Seemingly unfazed by the FIR, Siddaramaiah arrived in Mysuru on a three-day visit and was given a rousing welcome by supporters in a show of strength and support, even as BJP party workers staged a protest demanding his resignation and tried to march towards the venue of the meeting that the CM was attending but were stopped by the police.