Ex-Lokayukta Justice Hegde says Siddaramaiah should resign

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Weighing in on the MUDA site allotment case, Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde on Wednesday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should resign in view of the serious allegations against him. He also dismissed the CM's claim that he has not committed anything wrong, and said the High Court has found that prima facie there was evidence of wrongdoing. “It is up to him (Siddaramaiah) to decide whether to resign or not but when there is such a serious allegation I feel that in public view point, he should resign though there is nothing wrong in not giving resignation as per law,” Hegde told reporters here.

The retired Supreme Court judge further said, “The sanction to investigate the Chief Minister was granted in MUDA case where the High Court has said that prima facie there is evidence. Against this backdrop, I feel that he should resign. Rest is left to him.” Recalling the former PM and late Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning in 1956 as the Railway Minister following a train accident in South India, the former ombudsman said, "That tendency (Shastri) is not there now.” His comments come a day after the Karnataka HC upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA. The HC had also vacated its August 19 order directing the Special Court for People's Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe.