Bengaluru: Karnataka cabinet, led by CM Siddaramaiah, urged governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot to act swiftly on the pending prosecution against Union minister for heavy industry and steel HD Kumaraswamy. It also sought governor's approval for prosecution of MLAs Shashikala Jolle, G Janardhan Reddy and former minister Murugesh Nirani.
“The Cabinet decided to advise governor under Article 163 (of the Constitution) to immediately act on pending cases,” state law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil said after the meeting.
Patil emphasised that the cabinet’s recommendation was “not vendetta politics” but a response to public demand for accountability. He explained that the cabinet’s role is to aid and advise the governor, reinforcing the constitutional basis of their recommendation. This clarification follows allegations of political retaliation following governor’s recent sanction to prosecute Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment scam. Sanction to proceed against Siddaramaiah was granted on Aug 17 and is currently being challenged in HC, with the next hearing scheduled for Aug 29. Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, is exploring the option of parading Congress MLAs before President Droupadi Murmu to make the point that he enjoys the confidence of all Congress legislators. The suggestion was made at a Congress Legislature Party meeting where MLAs unanimously backed Siddaramaiah and condemned the governor for permitting the prosecution od CM over the Muda land allotment case.
