He had written a note to his Principal Secretary regarding land on Survey No. 464 in Kesare, Mysuru

Mysuru: The high-profile Mysuru Lokayukta Police investigation into the massive Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 50:50 alternative site allotment scam, involving the alleged illegal allocation of 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, has extended beyond Mysuru to the State capital, Bengaluru.

Yesterday, a team led by Lokayukta Superintendent of Police (SP) T.J. Udesh interrogated former Urban Development Minister B.N. Bachegowda, who held the position during the Congress Government. Bachegowda later switched to the BJP and served as MP of Chikkaballapur from 2019 to 2024.

Due to his advanced age, Bachegowda, now over 80, was questioned at his residence in Bengaluru about his role as Urban Development Minister during the controversial site allotments and land denotification.

His son, Sharath Kumar Bachegowda, a Congress MLA from Hosakote, confirmed to Star of Mysore this morning that a Lokayukta team had visited their home to question his father.

Following Bachegowda’s questioning, the Lokayukta team also visited the residence of former Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Subramanya Rao, for interrogation. Rao, who is also over 80 years old, held the position during Bachegowda’s  tenure as Minister.

S. Palaiah appears

In a fresh development this morning, former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Mysuru, S. Palaiah appeared before the Lokayukta for questioning.

Last week, the Lokayukta Police had served a notice to Palaiah, who in 2004 had signed documents related to MUDA transactions, asking him to appear for questioning. After he failed to comply, a second notice was issued. Palaiah finally appeared at around 11:15 am today and was escorted to the second floor of the Lokayukta SP Office on Dewan’s Road for interrogation. He was questioned for over two hours till about 1 pm.

The scam has involved several high-ranking officials, including former Mysuru Deputy Commissioner and current Raichur MP G. Kumar Naik, who has already been questioned by the Lokayukta. Two former MUDA Commissioners, Dr. D.B. Natesh and G.T. Dinesh Kumar, are also expected to be summoned for questioning soon.

A-1 and A-2

Adding further fuel to the investigation, Lokayukta sources have confirmed that notices will soon be issued to two high-profile individuals: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (Accused 1) and his wife Parvathi (Accused 2).

The Lokayukta team is currently deliberating whether to summon them to the office in Mysuru or conduct the inquiry at their residence. While no official notices have yet been served to the Chief Minister and his wife, Lokayukta SP Udesh assured that this step will be taken soon, based on the investigation’s progress.