Sanction for Siddaramaiah's prosecution illegal: Karnataka Congress

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress on Saturday termed the decision of Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot to grant sanction for prosecuting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case as totally illegal, which will lead to negative developments in the state.

Minister for Revenue Krishna Byre Gowda and Minister for Law H.K. Patil said this at a joint press conference at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Saturday.

“Before granting permission for prosecution, a preliminary investigation should be conducted. The Indian government has framed regulations on how to consider Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act as of September 3, 2021. This means that a police officer must obtain permission under this section to investigate a person holding a public office. In the current case, which police officer has obtained permission?” Gowda questioned the Governor.

There are four cases where police officers had previously sought permission for investigation involving Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, former BJP ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and Janardhan Reddy. Despite seeking permission from the Lokayukta to investigate these individuals, permission was not granted, he pointed out.

In the current case, why has no police officer sought permission for investigating Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and yet permission has been granted? Gowda stated.

When granting permission for prosecution, there should be records of those who have committed errors in the case. The police should provide records to the Governor on the decisions taken against those accused. Only then can permission for prosecution be granted. The Indian government has issued a list of records that should be provided before granting permission for prosecution. The Governor should show at least one of these records, Gowda challenged.

Only the Director General of Police has the authority to request permission for investigation. The current permission granted by the Governor is entirely unconstitutional. Recently, Supreme Court Justice Nagarathna stated that the Governor is working in favour of a particular party's interests, he noted.

“CM Siddaramaiah, who was elected with a majority, symbolizes the pride of Kannada-speaking people. He will not agree to work as a subordinate to the New Delhi government. This is an attack on Karnataka and Kannada-speaking people,” he maintained.

Minister for Law H.K. Patil said, “The Governor’s actions are unconstitutional, lacking in principle, and politically motivated. They have provided a platform for negative developments.”

Central ministers Prahlad Joshi, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Shobha Karandlaje have repeatedly stated that the Karnataka Congress government will fall within 10 months or 6 months. They publicly claimed that the Congress government would come to know of this within 10 days. The Governor's actions have exposed the ulterior motive to the people of Karnataka, Patil stated.

Siddaramaiah, elected by a majority of Kannada-speaking people, and the Congress government cannot be undermined by conspiracies, he underlined.

Siddaramaiah has taken a very bold stance against the Central government. He went to the Supreme Court regarding delays in providing drought relief, asserting that our taxes are our right. Due to his criticism of the Central government, politics of revenge are being played against him, Patil said.

IANS