The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed a trial court not to take any action against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after Governor Thawaar Chand Gehlot granted sanction to prosecute him in an alleged corruption case involving a land scam, reported Live Law.

The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value housing sites in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, in 2021 by the Mysore Urban Development Authority under a state government scheme.

This was allegedly done in exchange for 3.16 acres of land that Parvathi owned in another part of the city. This land was allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.

Siddaramaiah had moved the High Court challenging Gehlot’s decision to grant sanction to prosecute him for the alleged corruption, Live Law reported.

The chief minister contended in his plea that the governor’s decision was part of a concerted effort to destabilise the Congress government in Karnataka, according to Live Law.

He argued that the order for grant of prosecution was issued without application of mind and that it violates the constitutional principle of governors acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers.

The Congress leader argued that the sanction order was based on an application by activist TJ Abraham, whose conduct and motives “have been called into question on numerous occasions, including by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India”.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Siddaramaiah, told the court that the governor issued sanction in a short two-page order without considering the merits of the case, reported Live Law.

“You do not need any provision of the Constitution to destabilise the governments if a sanction is given like [this],” Singhvi argued. “He [governor] selectively plucked out this complaint. He said he was not bound by the sanction of the Cabinet. I have not even received the complaints yet, which have become part of the governor’s order.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) have demanded that Siddaramaiah resign from his post in light of the corruption allegations.

The chief minister has denied the allegations and refused to resign. He claimed that the Mysuru Urban Development Authority legally allotted the 14 housing sites to his wife in exchange for having “illegally” acquired her land without following due process, reported The Hindu.