Activist seeks removal of Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh, alleges bias in probe

Bengaluru: Snehamayi Krishna, the petitioner in the high-profile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 50:50 site allotment scam, has filed a formal application before the Special Court for Elected Representatives in the city, seeking the replacement of Lokayukta Superintendent of Police, Mysuru, T.J. Udesh.

Now, the MUDA has been rebranded as Mysuru Development Authority (MDA).

Krishna’s plea follows the filing of a closure report by the Lokayukta Police that gave a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — named as the first accused in the case — along with his wife B.M. Parvathi, brother-in-law B.M. Mallikarjunswamy and land owner J. Devaraju.

SP Udesh, who led the investigation, had submitted the closure report citing a lack of sufficient evidence against the accused. Challenging this, Snehamayi Krishna urged the Court to appoint an officer of integrity to ensure an impartial investigation.

Appearing before Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhatt yesterday, Krishna argued that SP Udesh had not conducted the investigation in an unbiased manner and insisted on the appointment of a new investigating officer.

Krishna has alleged that Udesh acted under the influence of CM Siddaramaiah while handling the MUDA scam, questioning his impartiality and demanding action against him. He claimed that the Lokayukta’s report was riddled with falsehoods and said that further investigation, as currently pursued, was only serving to delay proceedings under the guise of an extended inquiry.

The petitioner further accused the officers of falsely claiming that there was a lack of evidence, despite what he believes is ample evidence against the accused, including Siddaramaiah.

Krishna appealed to the Court to scrap the closure report and grant him a fair opportunity to substantiate the charges. He also asserted that multiple criminal offences had been committed in connection with the MUDA scam and urged the Court to direct the filing of a separate FIR.

Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh was also present during the hearing. In response, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat directed Lokayukta counsel Venkatesh Arabhatti to file his reply to the petitioner’s complaint. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 15.

This post was published on July 1, 2025 6:35 pm