CM Siddaramaiah welcomes SC ruling in MUDA case
Bengaluru (PTI): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Karnataka High Court judgment, which quashed the ED notice in the MUDA case.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s office called the ruling a step towards justice and a blow to politically motivated interference.
Referring to media reports, the statement read: “Supreme Court upholds judgment of the High Court quashing ED notice in Parvathi and Byrathi Suresh MUDA Case. SLPs dismissed. Court cautioned about making adverse remarks against ED. They stated that matter must not be politicised. Fight your battles before the electorate. Dismissed as they find no fault in the learned single judge’s order. Justice has prevailed and ED interference has been put to an end in MUDA case.”
The MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) case involves alleged irregularities in land allotted to Parvathi Siddaramaiah, wife of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
In the MUDA case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land, which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
It is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.
The Lokayukta as well as the ED are probing the matter simultaneously.
The Enforcement Directorate had issued notices to both under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which were later quashed by the Karnataka High Court.
The ED had challenged the High Court’s decision before the Supreme Court through Special Leave Petitions (SLPs).
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
