Probe Agency Questions Siddaramaiah's Brother-in-Law In Mysuru Land Scam

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's brother-in-law, B M Mallikarjuna Swamy was on Monday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case, official sources said.

One of the accused in the MUDA case, Mallikarjuna Swamy appeared before ED officials at their office here, following a notice, they said.

CM Siddaramaiah is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the MUDA.

Along with Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru Lokayukta police on September 27, following directions by a special court.

On September 30, the ED filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book the CM and others, taking cognisance of Lokayukta FIR.

Last month, the ED conducted searches at the MUDA office in Mysuru and a few other locations including in Bengaluru in connection with the case.

Siddaramaiah had on November 6 appeared before the Lokayukta police in Mysuru, in response to the summons issued to him for questioning in the case.

In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru (Vijayanagar Layout 3rd and 4th stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land, which had been "acquired" by MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.

It is alleged Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.

However, as the alleged scam became a major issue, Parvathi wrote to MUDA to cancel 14 sites allotted to her and the MUDA had accepted it.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)