On 29th September, it came to light that an FIR was filed against Karnataka Right to Information (RTI) activist Snehamayi Krishna in August 2024. Snehamayi Krishna recently obtained a court order for an FIR against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case. As per reports, he was booked for allegedly harassing a woman. Krishna has denied the allegations and suggested that it was a “conspiracy” to silence him.
The complaint against Krishna was filed by a woman at Nanjangud Police Station on 21st August 2024. Based on the complaint, an FIR was filed on the same day under Sections 85, 126(2), 74, 352, 351(2), 79, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In the FIR, the woman accused Krishna and others of attacking her. She alleged that Krishna and others pulled her clothes and verbally abused her along with death threats when she was returning from court on 18th July 2024. She stated that Krishna, her own father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law have been harassing her over a property dispute.
The complainant’s husband passed away in 2020. The dispute between Krishna and other accused reportedly involved claims over the death benefits of the late husband and her jewellery. In the FIR, Krishna has been listed as the fourth accused. He was accused of assaulting her and threatening her and her mother.
Speaking on the matter, Krishna said, “This is an attempt to suppress my fight against corruption. Even if I am jailed, my battle will continue.” He added that he has sent a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), urging the agency to investigate corruption within MUDA. He has alleged that over Rs 5,000 crore has been misappropriated by the accused in the case. Furthermore, he also plans to file a formal complaint to the ED. Notably, a petition in the court to hand over the investigation of MUDA’s site allotment irregularities since 2015 to the CBI has already been submitted by him.
Snehamayi Krishna recently got court orders to book CM Siddaramaiah and three others. They have been booked by the Lokayukta police on charges of corruption, cheating, and forgery in connection with the allotment of 14 MUDA housing sites to the wife of CM Siddaramaiah in 2021. Notably, a private complaint was filed by Krishna, TJ Abraham, and Pradeep Kumar, leading to the probe initiated by Lokayukta police. The governor has already approved the investigation against CM Siddaramaiah.
Notably, CM Siddaramaiah had approached the Karnataka High Court against the governor’s sanction to initiate an investigation against him in August 2024. The High Court had stayed the investigation. However, in September 2024, the High Court said in its judgment that the governor has the right to sanction an investigation against the CM and said in exceptional circumstances, the governor can exercise independent discretion without consulting the Council of Ministers. The court said, “prima facie rules bent to favour CM Siddaramaiah’s family.”
Following the judgment, Lokayukta police filed an FIR. Later, Krishna filed a petition for a CBI investigation into the matter and wrote to the ED requesting the agency to probe.
