The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, and others in connection with a case involving alleged irregularities in land allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The notice was issued in response to an appeal by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, who is seeking a transfer of the investigation from the Lokayukta police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The appeal challenges a February 7 order by a single-judge bench that declined the plea for a CBI probe, ruling that the Lokayukta's investigation was neither biased nor deficient. The bench had also upheld the institutional independence of the Lokayukta, citing recognition of its autonomy by the Supreme Court and a previous division bench of the High Court.

A division bench led by Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind directed that the notice be made returnable on April 28, noting that related appeals are also scheduled for hearing on that day.

During the hearing, the bench raised a procedural question about the maintainability of an appeal under Article 226 of the Constitution against a single judge’s ruling. Senior Advocate K G Raghavan, representing the appellant, clarified that the plea was not against a judicial order but sought a writ of mandamus directing a CBI probe.

The court stated it would first consider the issue of maintainability before delving into the merits of the case.

Raghavan also informed the bench about a related appeal scheduled for April 28, which challenges the single judge's order upholding the Governor’s sanction to prosecute the accused. He noted that if that appeal is allowed, the question of a CBI probe may become redundant.

The case stems from allegations that 14 high-value compensatory plots in Mysuru’s Vijayanagar Layout (3rd and 4th Stages) were allotted by MUDA to Parvathi B M under a controversial 50:50 land allotment scheme. The plots were granted in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land acquired by MUDA for developing a residential layout.

As per the scheme, landowners whose properties were acquired were to receive 50% of the developed land in return. Critics allege that the value of the allotted plots far exceeded that of the original land, resulting in a loss to the public exchequer.

Following directions from a Special Court handling criminal cases involving current and former MPs/MLAs, an FIR was registered by the Mysuru Lokayukta police on September 27, 2024. Named in the FIR are CM Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, her brother-in-law B M Mallikarjun Swamy, and Devaraju — from whom Swamy had purchased land that was later gifted to Parvathi.

While the Lokayukta police later filed a closure report citing lack of evidence against the accused, they also noted that MUDA officials’ application of the 50:50 scheme had caused financial loss to the state. The police have sought the court’s permission to continue investigating the role of MUDA officials.

The High Court will take up the matter again on April 28.