The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate to BM Parvathi, the wife of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and state Urban Development Minister BS Suresh in connection with the alleged irregularities in the allotment of compensatory housing sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, ANI reported.

A bench of Justice Nagaprasanna stayed the summons till the next hearing on February 10.

The central law enforcement agency had issued the summons in the matter earlier in the day. While Parvathi was asked to appear before it on Tuesday, it was unclear when Suresh had been summoned.

Subsequently, Parvathi and Suresh moved the High Court challenging the notices.

At the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Arvind Kamath, for the Enforcement Directorate, said that it had the power to issue the summons to collect details of the predicate offences, Live Law reported.

However, the counsel for the petitioners told the bench that the summons had been issued pending the hearing of the petition filed before this court.

“Summons issued are to be stayed as it will frustrate the proceedings pending before this court,” Nagaprasanna said.

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

This was allegedly done in exchange for 3.1 acres of land that Parvathi owned in another part of the city. The land was allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.

In September, a special court in Bengaluru ordered a Lokayukta police investigation against Siddaramaiah after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to prosecute him. The Lokayukta is the state’s anti-corruption ombudsman.

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

On September 27, the Lokayukta police registered a first information report against Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, her brother Mallikarjuna Swamy and a person named Devaraju.

Swamy had reportedly purchased the land in question from Devaraju and gifted it to Parvathi.

Three days later, the Enforcement Directorate booked Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police.

On October 1, Parvathi offered to return the plots. Subsequently, the Mysore Urban Development Authority said that it would take back the 14 plots.

A fresh complaint was filed with the Enforcement Directorate on October 2 against Siddaramaiah for allegedly tampering with records and destroying evidence in the matter.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that Suresh, the urban development minister, did not act on concerns raised by the deputy commissioner at the time on the alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.

The Hindutva party has alleged that Suresh was trying to protect the former Mysuru Urban Development Authority commissioners in order to cover up the alleged scam.

On Monday, the Lokayukta submitted its investigation report in the matter to the High Court, Deccan Herald quoted unidentified officials as saying.

Court cannot suo motu transfer probe to CBI, argues state

On Monday, the Karnataka government also told the High Court that it cannot suo motu transfer the Lokayukta’s investigation against Siddaramaiah to the Central Bureau of Investigation merely on concerns that the probe by the anti-corruption ombudsman might not be fair, Bar and Bench reported.

The submission was made by advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state government, while opposing the petition filed by an activist who is also the original complainant in the case.

The plea seeks the transfer of the investigation to the CBI, claiming that the Lokayukta probing the chief minister despite being a state authority might not be able to instil public confidence.

Sibal contended that the Lokayukta Act gives the Lokayukta the power to investigate public servants and government officials including the chief minister.