The Enforcement Directorate on Monday registered a case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with an alleged land scam, reported PTI.

This was done based on a first information report registered by the Lokayukta police on Friday against the Congress leader, his wife BM Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and a person named Devaraju.

On Wednesday, a special court in Bengaluru had ordered a Lokayukta police investigation against Siddaramaiah after the Karnataka High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to prosecute him.

On August 19, Siddaramaiah moved the High Court challenging Gehlot’s decision, contending that it was part of a concerted effort to destabilise the Congress government in Karnataka.

The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value housing sites in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Parvathi, the chief minister’s wife, 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 she owned in another part of the city. The land was allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.

Mallikarjuna Swamy had allegedly bought the land from Devaraju and then gifted it to Parvathi.

After the High Court upheld the sanction to prosecute Siddaramaiah on September 24, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) have been demanding that he step down as the chief minister. However, he has rejected calls for his resignation, describing the allegations as politically motivated.

The Janata Dal (Secular) is an ally of the BJP in Karnataka.