Ex-MUDA Commr., officials accused of aiding private individual

Mysuru: A new scandal has emerged, involving the creation of fake documents to acquire sites in Vijayanagar illegally, allegedly orchestrated by private individuals in collusion with officials from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Speaking at a press conference at Pathrakartara Bhavan in city yesterday, Samaja Rakshana Sene State President K.H. Hanumantharaju accused one Deepu Rajendra and certain MUDA officials of causing the Government a loss of crores by fabricating documents to secure approval for 16 sites in Vijayanagar under the 50:50 ratio in lieu of land spanning four acres under Survey No. 4 (16/1) in Kurubarahalli, Mysuru.

Hanumantharaju noted that in 1965, the then City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) had awarded Rs. 4,000 as compensation to G.V. Parashivamurthy of Kollegal, the original heir of this four-acre tract. Yet, 58 years later, MUDA officials allegedly approved 16 sites for Deepu Rajendra in a single day, facilitated through fake documents under a 50:50 ratio.

“Despite prior acquisition and compensation payments, former MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar, Surveyor P. Raghu, Land Acquisition Section Manager B.M. Shruthi and First Division Assistant Darshan illegally sanctioned 16 sites to Deepu Rajendra in 2023-24 using a forged will and death certificate. Fraudulent records were fabricated, bypassing the mandatory ‘check-bandi’ and sketch verification process, to enable the unlawful allocation of these plots,” Hanumantharaju said.

He stated that although Deepu Rajendra has no connection to G.V. Parashivamurthy, the original heir to the four-acre land under Survey No. 4 (16/1) in Kurubarahalli, plots were granted to him based on a forged will.

RTI query dismissed

“When we sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, MUDA officials replied, ‘As per your request, records regarding Survey Number 4 (16/1) are not available in our office. Furthermore, the requested will or death certificate is a private document and under Section 8(1)(J) of the RTI Act, we are not permitted to provide it. Therefore, your application has been dismissed’,” he disclosed.

A notice was sent through a lawyer to those accused in the scam, but MUDA officials have not responded. “On the lawyer’s advice, a complaint was lodged at the Lakshmipuram Police Station. However, the Police informed us they would forward the complaint to the Lokayukta and suggested filing it directly there. In light of this, we have decided to submit a formal complaint to the Lokayukta and to the Justice P.N. Desai Commission, which is probing MUDA’s corruption and land allocation scandal,” he stated.

Jayanna, Rangaswamy, Swami Nayak and Sher Khader were present at the press meet.