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TJ Abraham, one of the complainants in the alleged MUDA scam, said on Tuesday that anti-corruption movement has got a very big boost after the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petition of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against the governor's sanction to prosecute him in the scam.
"Anti-corruption movement has got a very big boost. I am sure the judge has traveled quite far in various judgements throughout this country to come to this conclusion. It is a fantastic order. We were prepared for it," TJ Abraham told reporters. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction on August 17 on the applications filed by two Bengaluru- based social activists Pradeep Kumar SP and TJ Abraham and Mysuru-based social activist Snehamayi Krishna. Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the verdict of the single bench will be challenged in the higher benches and higher courts. "We have faith in the law. We will fight it out. We will question (the judgement) in the double bench, other bench and Supreme Court. We stand with the CM," Ramalinga Reddy said. Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the approval given by the Governor for conducting investigation against him in the alleged illegalities in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotting sites to his wife. In his judgment the single judge bench of Justice Nagaprasanna said that the order of sanction for prosecution does not suffer from non-application of mind by the Governor. In his petition Siddaramaiah questioned the legality of the sanction granted by the Governor permitting investigation against him under Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagarik Surakha Sanhita, 2023. It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife in the prime location of Mysuru city. The High Court, in its interim order passed on August 19, had granted a temporary relief to Siddaramaiah by directing a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action pursuant to the sanction granted by the Governor. On August 31, the office of the Karantaka Governor told the high court in the state that the sanction granted to prosecute Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam was done after "application of mind." The state unit of the BJP welcomed the verdict and demanded that Siddaramiah resign as CM. "Satyameva Jayate!! It is welcome that the High Court has given permission for the prosecution against the CM Siddaramiah who had illegally grabbed the Dalits' land and made the sites that should have belonged to the poor in his name. Congress leaders resorted to low-level politics to cover up their universe of corruption. But the court upheld the Governor's move and reiterated that corruption has no place in India. If Siddaramaiah has any respect for the law of this land, for the constitution, for the court, he should not continue his corruption and bow down to the court's decision and resign from the post of CM immediately," the BJP state unit posted on X. (ANI)
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