ED files chargesheet against ex-MUDA commissioner
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New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against former Mysuru Urban Development Authority commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to the MUDA scam case.
The prosecution complaint was filed in the special court for trial of MP/MLA cases at Bengaluru on November 14, the agency said in a statement.
Kumar was arrested by the ED in September and he is currently lodged in a jail under judicial custody.
"The evidence and documents collected during the course of investigation in this case has indicated active involvement of G T Dinesh Kumar in the comprehensive money laundering scheme perpetrated at MUDA, Mysore during his tenure as commissioner," the agency alleged.
Probe found a "large-scale scam" in allotment of MUDA sites by flouting various statutes and government orders/guidelines and by other fraudulent means, it said.
The role of ex-MUDA commissioner Kumar has emerged as "instrumental" in illegal allotment of compensation sites to ineligible entities/individuals, as per the ED.
The modus operandi for making illegal allotment involved identification of "ineligible" beneficiaries and making allotment using fake or incomplete documents in "direct violation" of government orders and also back-dating of allotment letters in some cases.
The gratification received for making these illegal allotments was routed through a co-operative society and bank accounts of the relatives/associates of Kumar. The gratification was further used to purchase some of these illegally allotted MUDA sites in the name of relatives of Kumar, the agency claimed.
A total of 283 "illegally" allotted MUDA sites and three other immovable properties, having a market value of Rs 450 crore, have been attached by the ED .
The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Karnataka Lokayuktha police.
The case also involved alleged irregularities in allotment of land to Parvathi, wife of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
However, the Supreme Court in July upheld a Karnataka High Court decision to quash ED proceedings against Parvathi in this case.
The Justice P N Desai Commission, constituted by the state government in this case, has also exonerated Siddaramaiah and his family.
The Lokayuktha police has also given a clean chit to Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, and two others, stating that the allegations "could not be proven due to a lack of evidence".
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
