New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met senior Supreme Court lawyers Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Kapil Sibal separately in New Delhi yesterday to discuss the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case.

Siddaramaiah, who was in Delhi to participate in the launch event of Karnataka’s Nandini milk products, attended a breakfast meeting at Singhvi’s residence.

The meetings come ahead of the critical hearing scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23, on Siddaramaiah’s writ petition challenging the Karnataka High Court’s decision to uphold the Governor’s nod for his prosecution.

Accompanied by Legal Adviser A.S. Ponnanna, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh and MLC Govindaraju, Siddaramaiah held 30-minute discussions with each lawyer, reviewing the implications of the High Court’s verdict and the Lokayukta investigation into his alleged misconduct. Sources indicate the talks might have also included legal strategies should the Enforcement Directorate (ED) serve him a notice in its ongoing probe.

It is reported that Siddaramaiah discussed the ongoing Lokayukta investigation into the MUDA scandal and the upcoming High Court hearing on Nov. 26 regarding the transfer of the case to the CBI.

The case stems from Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval of an investigation into MUDA’s allotment of 14 sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi. Siddaramaiah had initially challenged this in the Karnataka High Court’s Single-Judge Bench, which dismissed his plea. Singhvi had represented Siddaramaiah in the case.

Subsequently, Siddaramaiah filed a writ petition with the Division Bench, which is set for hearing tomorrow.

Notably, coinciding with the ED filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), Parvathi surrendered the 14 sites to MUDA, reportedly following legal advice from Kapil Sibal.