ED Chargesheets Ex-Muda Chief in ₹450-Cr Scam
According to the agency, Kumar played an “instrumental” role in illegally allotting compensation sites to ineligible individuals and entities
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against former Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the Muda scam.
The prosecution complaint was filed before the special court for trial of MP/MLA cases in Bengaluru on November 14, the agency said in a statement. Kumar, who was arrested by the ED in September, is currently in judicial custody.
“The evidence and documents collected during the investigation indicate the active involvement of G.T. Dinesh Kumar in the comprehensive money laundering scheme perpetrated at Muda, Mysuru, during his tenure as commissioner,” the agency alleged.
The probe uncovered a “large-scale scam” in the allotment of Muda sites by flouting statutes, government orders, and guidelines, and through other fraudulent means, the ED said.
According to the agency, Kumar played an “instrumental” role in illegally allotting compensation sites to ineligible individuals and entities. The modus operandi included identifying ineligible beneficiaries, using fake or incomplete documents, violating government orders, and even back-dating allotment letters.
The ED alleged that the gratification received for these illegal allotments was routed through a cooperative society and bank accounts of Kumar’s relatives and associates. These funds were then used to purchase some of the illegally allotted Muda sites in the names of Kumar’s relatives.
The agency has attached 283 illegally allotted Muda sites and three other immovable properties valued at Rs 450 crore.
The money laundering case was registered on the basis of an FIR filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police. The case also involved alleged irregularities in allotting land to Parvathi, wife of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
However, the Supreme Court in July upheld a Karnataka High Court decision quashing ED proceedings against Parvathi. The Justice P.N. Desai Commission, constituted by the state government, also exonerated Siddaramaiah and his family. The Lokayukta police, too, gave a clean chit to Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, and two others, stating that the allegations “could not be proven due to lack of evidence.”
