Bengaluru:
The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the trial court to take no action against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following Governor Thawaar Chand Gehlot sanctioning the Congress leader’s prosecution in the alleged MUDA land scam case. The interim relief for the embattled Chief Minister will be in effect till August 29, when the High Court will hear this case next.
Siddaramaiah had moved the High Court against Mr Gehlot’s nod to prosecute him and sought this interim relief on grounds the Governor’s action was “illegal and without authority of law”, and that allowing his prosecution posed “a grave and imminent risk of irreparable harm (to his) reputation” as well as “disrupt governance… and potentially result in political destabilisation”.
“Since the matter is heard by this court and pleadings are to be completed… till the next date of hearing the concerned court (the trial court) should defer its proceedings…” the High Court said.
In its order the court noted that documents submitted by the petitioner (i.e., Chief Minister Siddaramaiah) had “referred to several points of order… to prima facie demonstrate that (the) order (granting sanction to prosecute) bears non-application of mind (by the Governor).
The court also noted the Chief Minister’s submission – that the Governor had sanctioned prosecution of the former at “breakneck” speed following filing of a complaint on July 26.
During the hearing senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Siddaramaiah, had urged the court to direct “no precipitate action” and claimed the sanction granted by the Governor is “part of a concerted effort to destabilise the duly elected government of Karnataka…”
Mr Singhvi argued the Governor had “picked out this complaint (referring to those filed by an activist, TJ Abraham, and two others) … out of 12 to 15 still pending, without single reason”.
He further argued that two conditions to be met for application of Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, under which the Chief Minister has been charged, were missing. Mr Singhvi also flagged what he said were other errors that betrayed the order was passed “without application of mind”, including the show-cause notice sent to Siddaramaiah referring to one complaint and the Governor’s sanction to prosecute referring to “other complaints”.