ED summon to Siddaramaiah's wife, state minister in Muda case

The probe requires independence to avoid any perception of bias, especially given the stature of the accused MANINDER SINGH, Senior advocate representing Snehmayi Krishna

- Arun Dev

BENGALURU: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued notices to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's wife, BM Parvathi, and urban development minister Byrathi Suresh, asking the former to appear before the investigating officer on Tuesday, as part of its ongoing investigation into the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) land allotment scam, officials said. Details regarding Suresh's summons remain undisclosed.

According to officials, the notice to Parvathi was issued under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This is the second notice issued to Parvathi, as she previously requested a two-week extension citing health concerns, age, and an inability to attend in person. Parvathi also requested permission for an online appearance, which the ED declined.

The investigation into the alleged irregularities began in October 2024, focusing on irregularities in land allotments under Muda. Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, and her brother, BM Mallikarjun Swamy, have been named as key suspects in the case.

The dispute centres around a three-acre plot in Mysuru's Devanur 3rd Stage, which Siddaramaiah claims was gifted to his wife in 1998. In 2014, MUDA acquired the land for development without permission, and his wife, Parvathi applied for compensation. She was given 14 residential plots, totalling 38,284 square feet, in prime residential areas and worth over Rs ₹crore as compensation, raising questions about the disparity in value compared to the original land. The petitioner, activist, Snehamayi Krishna, alleged that the exchange unfairly benefited the family.

As part of its investigation, ED provisionally attached 142 immovable properties worth approximately ₹300 crore under PMLA. "The role of former MUDA commissioner DB Natesh has emerged as instrumental in illegal allotment of compensation sites to chief minister Siddaramaiah's wife BM Parvathi," ED said in a statement on January 17.