Kesare land owner J. Devaraju’s plea too to be heard by High Court on Dec. 5

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court’s Division Bench will hear on Dec. 5 an appeal challenging its Single-Judge Bench’s decision upholding the Governor’s sanction for prosecuting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over alleged irregularities in obtaining alternative sites from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for his wife, B.M. Parvathi.

During yesterday’s proceedings, the Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria, was approached by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta via video conference, who sought a rescheduling of the hearing. “The hearing is scheduled for November 23, but I have a private event on that day. I request that the hearing be deferred,” Mehta stated.

Senior Advocate Prof. Ravivarma Kumar, representing Siddaramaiah, responded, “The Solicitor General, representing the Governor in this case, has already completed his arguments, which we have challenged. While he is a formal respondent in this matter, we have no objection to rescheduling. However, we request the Court to hear our arguments and issue an interim order.”

Chief Justice Anjaria clarified, “We are yet to review the case details. Issuing an interim order without hearing the arguments is not feasible. Present your submissions, and we will decide on the matter.”

Senior Supreme Court Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also appearing for Siddaramaiah via video conference, added, “I will be in Bengaluru on Nov. 23 to present my arguments, but the final decision rests with the Court.”

Following these submissions, the Bench rescheduled the hearing for Dec. 5.

Additionally, the Bench has postponed the hearing of an appeal filed by the original land owner J. Devaraju. In 2004, Devaraju sold the land under Survey No. 464, Kesare, to B.M. Mallikarjunaswamy, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law, who later gifted it to his sister, Parvathi. This hearing, initially slated for Nov. 23, will now also take place on Dec. 5.