IMA Scam: Karnataka HC issues notice to State govt, authority over sale of Mansoor Khan's apartment
Bengaluru: The Karnataka HC while hearing the appeal filed by IMA Scam’s prime accused Mansoor Khan against the Special Court’s order attaching his apartment in Bannerghatta in the city, has issued notice to the authorities.
Khan had filed a petition questioning a special court’s order of confirming the attachment of one of his apartments for its sale.
A division bench comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty, before which the appeal came up for hearing, ordered the issue of notice to the State government and the Competent Authority (CA) appointed for the IMA scam case under the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPIFFE) Act, 2004.
An apartment situated on Bannerghatta Road Layout in Tilaknagar, Bengaluru, which was purchased by Khan in 2014, was among several other immovable properties and the bank accounts, the attachment of which was confirmed by the special court set up for KPIDFE cases in its order passed on March 7, 2022.
Challenging the notifications issued by the State government attaching the properties, it has been contended in the appeal that property in Tilaknagar was purchased by Khan out of his personal income and the profits accrued from his business ventures in accordance with the law, and the CA had failed to show that the property was purchased from the “deposits” of the general public.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
