Lokayukta questions CM’s brother-in-law, another accused in MUDA case for nine hours
Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law BM Mallikarjuna Swamy and land owner J Devaraju, who are the third and fourth accused in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment ‘scam’, were questioned by the Lokayukta Police for more than nine hours on Thursday.
The accused were grilled separately from around 11.30 am till 9 pm regarding the allegations of their creation of fraudulent documents as well as illegal purchase of property. The Lokayukta Police officers checked the documents, evidence presented by the Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju. Their statements were collected by the officers, who also cross-verified their accounts. Devaraju, after questioning, stated that he had shared necessary information regarding the case with the investigators.
Devaraju is learned to have given a site of three acres and 16 guntas under the administration of MUDA to Mallikarjuna Swamy in 2005. Devaraju, however, is accused by his nephew of using a fake title deed while selling the property to Mallikarjuna Swamy, who later gifted the site to his younger sister and CM Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, in 2010.
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In addition to use of fake documents during the transfer of the sites, the MUDA ‘scam’ is rooted in Parvathi’s demand for compensation from the government body for taking over the site for development work. In 2020, she was given 14 sites by the MUDA as compensation, leading to allegations of office misuse by the CM. Facing pressure from the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Parvathi returned the sites earlier this month.
As the Lokayukta probe into the case is expected to be concluded by December 25, the questioning of the two accused was considered crucial. The investigation team was led by Superintendent of Police (SP) TJ Udesh DSPs Malthesh and Mathew Thomas.
In addition, the case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
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Hezbollah fires over 180 rockets, other projectiles into Israel, wounding at least 7
Beirut, Nov 24: Hezbollah fired at least 185 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in the group's heaviest barrage in several days, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army centre killed one soldier and wounded 18 others on the southwestern coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, Lebanon's military said. Israel's military expressed regret and said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah, adding that its operations are directed solely against the Hezbollah group. The strike was under review.
Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on US-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.
