High Court quashes ED summons to CM’s wife, Minister Byrathi Suresh in MUDA ‘scam’
Bengaluru: The investigation of the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam took a major turn on Friday as the Karnataka High Court quashed the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, who heard the case on Friday, also quashed the ED summons to Minister Byrathi Suresh, whom the ED wishes to question in relation to the case although the minister is not an accused.
Senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, who represented Parvathi in court, said that the ED was attempting to initiate parallel proceedings by probing into alleged irregularities in the case although the Lokayukta Police as well as a SIT had already conducted an investigation.
He was, however, countered by Additional Solicitor General Arvind Kamath, who represented the ED and said that the CM’s wife was the second accused in the illegal land allotment case and had been summoned as she had received proceeds of the crime.
The complainant has stated that the CM’s wife had been gifted a plot in Mysuru by her brother. The site had been acquired, but later denotified and bought by Parvathi’s brother. The MUDA had developed the plot although the land was owned by private individuals, due to which, Parvathi sought compensation from MUDA and had reportedly received land with far greater value than the plot of land that she lost.
Mysuru Lokayukta Police had already given a clean chit to CM Siddaramaiah, Parvathi and brother-in-law BM Mallikarjuna in the case.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
