A petition alleging corruption by chief minister Siddaramaiah in renewing mining licences in his earlier tenure was filed with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Wednesday. The petition also seeks sanction by the governor for the prosecution of the chief minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 as well as several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The petition, filed by social activist H Ramamurthy Gowda, alleges that the government, instead of adopting a transparent auction process for expiring mining leases, extended licences to eight companies with a documented history of illegal mining as well as serious violations.
These companies, Gowda claims, were previously classified as Category C in the Santosh Hegde report, which pertains to illegal mining in the state and had their leases cancelled by the Supreme Court for illegal activities, including forest encroachment and lack of statutory clearances.
“The illegal deemed extension of mining leases, instead of following the auction process, has resulted in a total financial loss of ₹26,420 crore to the government. The act of bypassing auctions not only deprived the exchequer of rightful revenue but also encouraged corruption and lack of accountability in the mining sector. Wherefore, it is requested of your good office, to kindly grant sanction for the prosecution of Sri Siddaramaiah, for offences…,” the petition reads.
A senior Raj Bhavan official speaking on the condition of anonymity said that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has acknowledged the complaint and held detailed discussions with the petitioner. “He has since referred the matter to the state’s legal department and directed the Solicitor General to examine the documentation and provide a legal opinion before any final decision is made,” the official said.
The political fallout of the petition being filed has been swift. BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan welcomed the complaint, saying, “Good that these activists are coming forward to file a complaint. He might have relevant documents and sought permission for sanction. We will look into it and take it up.”
The BJP state unit issued a sharply worded statement, accusing Siddaramaiah of systemic corruption. “The scandals of the corrupt CM Siddaramaiah are coming out one by one… A complaint has been filed alleging that Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Siddaramaiah received kickbacks of ₹500 crore for granting permission for a total of eight mines, including Ramgarh Minerals. Siddaramaiah’s corruption pages are being exposed day by day, and we demand that he resign from his position immediately.”
When contacted for a comment, the chief minister’s office said that so far no intimation of the complaint has been received by the office of the CM. “If and when the information is available, required steps will be taken,” the statement said.
According to the petition, the Karnataka government received 108 applications for deemed extension, but only eight were approved, despite those companies being involved in serious past violations. Gowda alleges that these approvals were granted in exchange for kickbacks worth ₹2,500 crore, leading to a loss of ₹25,000 crore to the state treasury. “Despite strong public and media opposition, CM Siddaramaiah allegedly granted principle approval and deemed extensions in return for kickbacks…,” the petition said, asserting that the move violated Section 10A of the MMDR Act, 2015.
Gowda’s plea lists multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including Section 7 (accepting bribes for official acts), Section 9 (taking payments to influence public servants), Section 11 (receiving benefits during official dealings), Section 12 (abetment), and Section 15 (attempts to commit such acts).
The petition also cites a broad range of offences under the BNS, including Sections 59 and 61 (concealing designs to commit offences), Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and Section 239 (possession of forged currency). More serious charges include Sections 314, 316(5), and 318(1) (offences involving miscarriage, unborn children, and secret disposal of bodies), Sections 322, 324(2), and 324(3) (grievous hurt and extortion-related violence), and Sections 335 to 340 (various forms of forgery and use of forged documents).
The complaint builds upon a previous legal effort. “I have previously filed a complaint in xxi addl city civil and sessions judge and principal special judge for CBI cases Bengaluru (cch-4) pcr no 45/2017… regarding the illegality in granting principle approval and deemed extension to eight mining companies, which had earlier been involved in illegal mining activities,” Gowda stated in his petition.
He pointed out that the court, while acknowledging the merits of the case, ruled that it lacked the authority to refer the matter to the CBI and directed him to approach other legal forums. “The proper forums, as per the judgment, include the Karnataka Lokayukta or the CBI. In accordance with this directive, I am now formally filing this complaint with the Karnataka Lokayukta,” he added.