Lokayukta police may again summon CM in MUDA case, if necessary, says his legal adviser

The Lokayukta police probing the MUDA site allotment case may summon Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for questioning again, if necessary, during the course of the investigation, his legal adviser A S Ponnanna said on Thursday.

Siddaramaiah appeared before the Lokayukta police in Mysuru on Wednesday, in response to the summons issued to him, and he was questioned by a team led by Lokayukta Superintendent of Police (SP) T J Udesh.

“It is left to the discretion of the investigating officer who is investigating. The Chief Minister has said that he has responded to all the questions posed to him. If anything is remaining or during the further investigation if they (investigators) get any information and if they feel that they want to record his statement, they may call him (CM),” the senior advocate, also a Congress MLA, said.

“According to old Criminal Procedure (CRPC) 41 A they (investigators) have given a notice and they have recorded the attendance (of CM), and have said if necessary they will call back. It is a normal investigation procedure…during the investigation the investigating officer can call the accused or witnesses as many times as hey want,” Ponnanna said.

The CM, who has been named as accused number 1 in the FIR lodged by the Lokayukta police, is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

They had on October 25 questioned his wife, who has been named as accused number 2.

Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju — from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi — and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment on September 27.

Swamy and Devaraju have already deposed before the Lokayukta police.