Court reserves verdict on ED plea challenging Lokayukta 'B' report in MUDA case

Bengaluru: A Special Court for People’s Representatives here has reserved its order on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which contested the Lokayukta police’s ‘B’ Report that gave a clean chit to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA site allotment case.

The court would deliver its verdict on April 15.

During the hearing, the counsel for the Lokayukta, Venkatesh Arabatti, argued that the ED’s petition is not legally maintainable.

Venkatesh contended that the ED was an aggrieved party and hence it has no legal standing to file an interim application challenging the report.

However, representing the ED, lawyer Madhukar Deshpande argued that the agency is a statutory informant under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Deshpande said the ED is empowered to initiate such proceedings and that its role complements that of local law enforcement. He asserted that a party need not be directly affected to contest a ‘B’ Report.