The Karnataka High Court has refused to stay proceedings against Union minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy in an alleged land grab case in Kethaganahalli in the state’s Ramanagara district, The Indian Express reported on Friday.

The former Karnataka chief minister has been accused of encroaching on six acres of government land in Kethaganahalli and was issued a show cause notice about it by the Ramanagara tehsildar on March 18, Deccan Herald reported.

Kumaraswamy, however, claimed that he legally purchased multiple plots in the village between 1985 and 1987 through registered sale deeds.

In a petition in the court questioning the legality of the notice, the Janata Dal (Secular) leader noted that all documents confirmed that both he and the sellers had valid ownership rights, The Hindu reported. Kumaraswamy said that he had been in lawful possession of the land for nearly 40 years.

He added the tehsildar had no jurisdiction to issue the notice as such a power was vested only with the assistant commissioner under the provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, according to The Hindu.

On Tuesday, a single bench of Justice NS Sanjay Gowda said that since the tehsildar’s notice was a show cause notice, a response must be submitted first, The Indian Express reported.

“In my view, obviously, the tehsildar would consider the objections that are filed by the petitioner and only thereafter, an order of eviction would be passed,” the newspaper quoted Gowda as saying, adding that there was no justification to stay further proceedings.

“Liberty is given to the petitioner to file objections to the notice,” the court added.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 22.

Separately, Kumaraswamy also faces criminal proceedings in an alleged corruption case from the period when he was the chief minister. The Supreme Court in February refused to stop proceedings in this case.

The case involved the de-notification of two acres and 24 guntas of land in Halagi Vaderahalli village in the Banashankari area, which the Bangalore Development Authority acquired in 1997.

In 2007, Kumaraswamy, as chief minister, ordered the land to be de-notified despite objections from the Bangalore Development Authority. The land was then sold to private parties for Rs 4.14 crore in 2010.