Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday got temporary relief as the Karnataka High Court asked the trial court not to take any action in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case until August 29.

On the date, the court will hear the CM’s petition seeking to quash the prosecution permission granted by Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Earlier on Monday, the CM filed a writ petition in the high court challenging the Governor’s order, arguing that the order was issued in haste and without proper consideration of material facts, law, and constitutional mandates governing such matters.

‘Deliberate attempt to malign reputation’

Siddaramaiah also highlighted in his petition that several applications for sanction made by investigating agencies have been long pending before the Governor and the allegations were framed based on a misrepresentation of facts and a deliberate attempt to malign his reputation.

This development comes after a political slugfest erupted in the State with Congress leaders staging dharnas against the Governor accusing him of acting on behalf of the central government. In response, the BJP and JDS held counter-protests demanding CM’s resignation.

Protests were held across Bengaluru, Udupi, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Tumakuru and Mysuru.

The demonstrations were led by Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and saw participation from ministers of the Siddaramaiah cabinet. Shivakumar condemned the case against CM as part of a political ploy aimed at destabilising the government. In a post on his X handle, he stated, “The Governor is making a case out of nothing. This is an assassination of democracy.”

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah strongly opposed demands for resignation by the opposition, and drew a comparison with Chief Minister Yediyurappa, noting that Yediyurappa did not step down despite Governor Bhardwaj granting permission to prosecute him in connection with the Rachenahalli de-notification scam which was ‘based on 1,600 pages of evidence.’

In a post on X, he responded to R Ashok’s demand for his resignation: “Mr. Ashok, weren’t you the one who questioned the need for Yediyurappa’s resignation back then? Now, why are you asking for mine?”

A bench led by Justice Hemant Chandangoudar reviewed the CM’s writ petition, scheduling the next hearing for August 29.