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This development is expected to revive the ED’s investigation and may result in fresh summons being issued to several high-profile accused in the case — including Parvathi Siddaramaiah and Minister Byrathi Suresh In a significant setback for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka High Court has allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to resume its investigation into the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam. The ruling clears the way for the agency to summon several accused once again — including Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi Siddaramaiah, and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh. A division bench comprising Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind clarified that the earlier ruling by a single-judge bench in the matter would not prevent the ED from pursuing its probe.
The division bench was hearing a petition filed by the agency in response to Justice M Nagaprasanna’s 27 January order, which had quashed the search, seizure, and summons issued in connection with the case — including those served to Parvathi Siddaramaiah and Minister Byrathi Suresh. Justice Nagaprasanna had ruled that the ED’s actions lacked the necessary ‘reason to believe’, declaring the search and seizure conducted at the residence of the petitioner from 28 to 29 October 2024 as “invalid and illegal". “The impugned search and seizure conducted at the residence of the petitioner on 28.
10.2024 to 29.10.
2024 and the subsequent statement recorded under Section 17(1)(f) of PMLA, 2002 is vitiated on the grounds of absence of ‘reason to believe’, and is hereby declared invalid and illegal. The statement recorded under Section 17(1)(f) of PMLA, 2002, is hereby ordered to be retracted," the order had stated. Following that ruling, the ED argued that the order had led to the quashing of summons issued to at least seven individuals, including the Chief Minister’s wife and Byrathi Suresh.
The division bench, however, has now reversed that effect, stating in its order on Wednesday: “Judgment and order shall not bar the applicant investigating agency from proceeding with the inquiry and investigation in accordance with law, in respect of other accused and other persons, who may be needed to be enquired or investigated in connection with the case, notwithstanding the impugned judgment and directions in case of the petitioner." This development is expected to revive the ED’s investigation and may result in fresh summons being issued to several high-profile accused in the case — including Parvathi Siddaramaiah and Minister Byrathi Suresh. The MUDA case, which centres around alleged irregularities in land allotments and financial misappropriation, has become a politically sensitive issue.
The High Court’s latest ruling is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Congress-led state government..
