State govt orders SIT against alleged land grab by HDK

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: It has emerged that the Congress State government has resolved to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate alleged encroachment of government land by Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Steel and Public Enterprises HD Kumaraswamy and his kin. The land grab is alleged to have taken place in Kattigenahalli village of Bidadi taluk in Ramanagara district where Kumaraswamy has built his massive farmhouse.

Others named in the case are former MLA D C Thamanna and an aunt of Kumaraswamy’s. The investigation is based on a complaint to Karnataka Lokayukta by former Mandya MP G Madegowda. In response, the Lokayukta sought a report on August 5, 2014, demanding recovery of encroached government land. The encroached plot is said to have been worth Rs 130 crore at the time. In 2020, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Samaj Parivartana Samuday approached the Karnataka High Court (HC) with a plea. They approached the court alleging contempt of court since the Lokayukta’s directions of 2014 were not acted upon by the State government.

In an order dated January 14, 2020, the court noted that the State advocate-general had submitted “that the State will comply with and implement the order dated August 5, 2014, passed by the Karnataka Lokayukta within a period of three months”.

Therefore the writ petition disposed of the petition. On January 29, an HC division bench noted during a physical appearance in court by principal secretary of the Revenue Department Rajendra Kumar Kataria that “the State Government vide Government Order dated 28.01.2025 has constituted a Special Investigation Team consisting of five members to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the oval f unauthorized encroachments.