Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sharply criticized Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for allegedly being selective in granting prosecution sanctions. Speaking on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah asserted that the Governor should function as a representative of the President of India rather than the central government.
“The Governor is a constitutional post, and we respect it. However, he should work as a representative of the President of India, not as an agent of the central government,” Siddaramaiah stated.
This criticism follows the Governor’s recent decision to grant sanction for an investigation against Siddaramaiah under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, related to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment case.
The Chief Minister questioned the Governor’s apparent inconsistency, recalling that the Karnataka Lokayukta sought permission to prosecute Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy in connection with a mining lease case as far back as November 2023, but no sanction has been granted yet. Similarly, the Governor has not approved the Lokayukta’s requests to prosecute former BJP Ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and G Janardhana Reddy.
“In contrast, when a private complaint was lodged against me on July 26, I received a show-cause notice just 10 hours later. Isn’t this discriminatory? The Governor should not engage in selective ‘pick and choose’ actions,” Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah has filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the Governor’s order, arguing that it was issued without due application of mind, violated statutory mandates, and contradicted constitutional principles, including the binding advice of the Council of Ministers under Article 163 of the Constitution.
The High Court, in response, passed interim orders deferring proceedings against Siddaramaiah and instructed that no further action be taken based on the sanction until August 29.
Amid these developments, the BJP has called for Siddaramaiah’s resignation to allow for a transparent and unbiased investigation into the allegations.
