A fresh complaint has been lodged against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Special Court for MLAs and MPs in Bengaluru, accusing him and others of committing a fraud worth over Rs 68 crore against the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Senior BJP leader and RTI activist N.R. Ramesh filed the complaint on Friday, seeking court permission to initiate criminal proceedings against the Chief Minister and several other officials.
In addition to Siddaramaiah, the complaint names Energy Minister K.J. George, former Principal Secretary Lakshminarayan, Major P. Manivannan, former Principal Secretary, and Manjunath Prasad, former BBMP Commissioner, as respondents in the case. Ramesh's complaint, filed under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, alleges that these individuals misused public property for political promotion without compensating the civic body.
The allegations date back to Siddaramaiah's first term as Chief Minister from 2013 to 2018. According to Ramesh, the government misused 493 bus shelters owned by the BBMP for promoting its achievements without paying the required advertisement fees, amounting to Rs 68.14 crore. Complaints had already been filed with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Lokayukta in 2015, accusing the government of using BBMP property for free advertising from 2015 to 2017.
BBMP, which generates revenue through property taxes, trade licenses, road fees, and advertisement charges, is heavily dependent on these sources to meet its annual expenditure of Rs 10,000 crore, primarily for salaries and infrastructure maintenance. Ramesh pointed out that the civic body's limited income makes the non-payment of advertisement fees by the government a serious issue.
The Special Commissioner (Finance) of BBMP issued a "Demand Notice" to the Siddaramaiah-led government on July 5, 2017, seeking Rs 12.98 crore as payment for the advertisement fees. However, the complaint claims that the state government ignored the notice.
After Siddaramaiah returned as Chief Minister for a second term in 2023, Ramesh alleged that the Lokayukta police, under pressure, closed the case without due process. He accused the Lokayukta of showing bias by dismissing the complaint regarding the Rs 68.14 crore "scam" involving advertisement fees owed to BBMP by the government.
In protest of the Lokayukta's actions, Ramesh has now filed a private complaint in the Special Court for People’s Representatives, requesting an official investigation into the matter. The court is expected to consider Ramesh's Private Complaint Register (PCR) and decide whether to proceed with an inquiry.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is already facing legal challenges related to another case involving the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). He has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking relief from an order issued by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, which called for his prosecution. The High Court has reserved its judgment on the matter.
With these new allegations surfacing, Siddaramaiah's political and legal troubles appear to be deepening, adding pressure to his leadership amid ongoing scrutiny.
