Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
I
n a major development on the backdrop of MUDA scam development,The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to withdraw its earlier notification granting unrestricted permission for CBI to conduct investigations in the state.
This decision calls for a CBI probe into Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the MUDA land scam case.
The high court while upholding the governor sanction had directed the anti-corruption body,Lokayukta,to investigate the case on Wednesday.
Under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DPSEA),the CBI requires the consent of state governments to operate within their jurisdiction,as its original authority is limited to Delhi.
Previously,Karnataka had provided general consent, allowing the agency to conduct investigations without needing case-specific approval.
The state Cabinet’s decision is seen as an attempt to prevent potential interference by the CBI,which could have launched an investigation into the Chief Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Karnataka Minister,HK Patil explained the move,alleging that the CBI was being misused.”We have decided to withdraw the blanket permission for CBI investigations.
If the court decides to hand over a case to the CBI,then we have no relevance.The CBI is being misused, and they have refused to file chargesheets in several cases,” Patil said.
