HC rejects plea to dismiss case against Malur MLA for land allocation

Bengaluru: In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court has dismissed the petition filed by Malur MLA KY Nanje Gowda, who was the chairman of the Malur Taluk Land grant Committee in 2019.The case pertains to the allocation of 80 acres of valuable government land to ineligible individuals, including deceased persons, during his tenure.

The bench, led by Justice M Nagaprasanna, passed this order after hearing the petition filed by Nanje Gowda and three other members of the committee, who sought the cancellation of the case against them. The High Court observed that this case illustrates how individuals in positions of power misused their authority by allotting government land to ineligible recipients. Consequently, the court dismissed the petition and lifted the restraining order that had been issued earlier, allowing for further investigation.

Furthermore, the petitioners were not named as accused in the initial FIR related to the allegations. Therefore, the High Court rejected the petitioner’s plea to quash the second FIR.

The controversy revolves around the allocation of government land to Narayanappa, who passed away in 2004 but was allotted 1.39 acres of land in 2019. The complaint alleged that land was allocated to individuals like Anand Gowda, a 40-year-old man, who had been cultivating the land for the past 50 years. This raised questions about the actions of the committee chaired by Nanje Gowda, suggesting that government land had been misappropriated.

To provide some context, petitioner Nanje Gowda served as an MLA in 2019 and was the chairman of the taluk land allotment committee responsible for allocating government lands to deserving individuals. The allegations revolve around the allocation of government lands worth crores of rupees to ineligible beneficiaries, including deceased individuals. A social worker named KC Rajanna filed a complaint with the Malur police station, requesting an investigation into the alleged irregularities. However, the police initially declined to file an FIR.

Subsequently, Rajanna filed a private complaint with the Special Court of People’s Representatives in Bangalore. The court directed the Malur police to file an FIR against petitioner Nanjegowda and conduct an investigation based on Rajanna’s complaint. As a result, an FIR was registered against Nanjegowda. Nanjegowda and others then approached the High Court, challenging this development. With the High Court’s latest decision, Nanjegowda and his associates will now face a comprehensive investigation into the case.