Karnataka High Court Halts Investigation into Land Grabbing Allegations Against Union Minister
Court Decision on Land Grabbing Inquiry
The Karnataka High Court issued an interim stay on Thursday regarding a Special Investigation Team's inquiry into land grabbing allegations against Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, as reported by a legal news outlet.
Kumaraswamy, who is also a former chief minister and a leader of the Janata Dal (Secular), faces accusations of illegally occupying 14.04 acres of government land in Kethaganahalli, located in the Ramanagara district. The state government had established a Special Investigation Team on January 28, led by Bengaluru Regional Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas, to investigate these claims.
On May 29, the tehsildar of Ramanagara had summoned Kumaraswamy to respond to the allegations.
However, Justice ES Indiresh of the High Court intervened on Thursday, halting the inquiry due to the absence of an official notification for the formation of the Special Investigation Team, as reported by another news source.
The judge not only suspended the SIT's formation but also the summons directed at Kumaraswamy. He instructed the state government to address the petition filed by Kumaraswamy, which challenges the legitimacy of the investigation.
Activist SR Hiremath initially raised the land grabbing allegations against Kumaraswamy in 2020, claiming that the former chief minister and his family had encroached upon grazing land in Kethiganahalli. Despite a High Court ruling mandating the recovery of the land, no action was taken, leading Hiremath's organization, Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, to file a contempt petition in the High Court.
In response, Kumaraswamy asserted that he legally acquired several plots in the village between 1985 and 1987 through registered sale deeds, maintaining that he has held lawful possession of the land for nearly four decades.
He further argued that the tehsildar lacked the authority to issue the notice, as such powers are designated solely to the assistant commissioner under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act.