New Delhi: In a major relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Supreme Court (SC) this morning dismissed an appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a Karnataka High Court  (HC) order that had quashed summons issued to his wife, B.M. Parvathi and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) alternative sites allotment case.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran upheld the High Court’s March 7 ruling, observing that ‘political battles must be fought in the public domain, not in Courtrooms’.

Expressing concern over the ED’s actions, the Bench remarked, “Unfortunately, I have some experience in Maharashtra. You don’t perpetuate this violence across the country now. Please do not force us to say something. Otherwise, we have to say something very harsh about the ED. Let political battles be fought among the electorate. Why are you being  used for it?”

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, offered to withdraw the appeal, saying, “Okay, we will withdraw. But let it not be treated as a precedent.”

However, the Court refused to allow a withdrawal and dismissed the appeal outright, stating that there was no error in the reasoning of the High Court.

“We do not find any error in the reasoning adopted by the Single Judge. In the peculiar facts and circumstances, we dismiss it. We should thank you, ASG, for saving some harsh comments,” the Bench stated.

The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allotment of MUDA sites to B.M. Parvathi. According to the complaint, she was ‘gifted’ 3.16 acres of land by her brother, B.M. Mallikarjunaswamy, who had acquired the land after it was de-notified. Despite the land being under private ownership, it was developed by MUDA (now Mysuru Development Authority).

Parvathi subsequently sought compensation, which she allegedly received in the form of 14 developed sites in a high-value locality under the 50:50 scheme — a transaction that raised questions due to the higher value of the developed sites compared to the original land. She later surrendered the sites to the authorities.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka High Court had earlier quashed the ED summons issued to Parvathi and Byrathi Suresh, the latter not being named as an accused but sought to be questioned in the case.

CM hails SC verdict as blow to ‘vendetta politics’

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has welcomed Supreme Court’s dismissal of ED’s appeal challenging a Karnataka High Court order that had quashed summons issued to his wife in MUDA case.

Calling the verdict a “resounding slap” to Central Government’s alleged misuse of investigation agencies, he said the ruling had “unequivocally cleared” his family of all “baseless allegations.”

He accused BJP and its allies of weaponising CBI and ED to harass his family, describing the ordeal as a “painful chapter” in their lives. He urged Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to “restore the autonomy” of Constitutional bodies and end their political misuse.

The CM also called on BJP and JD(S) leaders in Karnataka to publicly apologise for what he termed “fabricated allegations.”