H.D. Kumaraswamy accuses D.K. Shivakumar and family of illegal land acquisitions in BMIC project area

Union Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday accused Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and members of his family of illegally acquiring multiple land parcels around Bengaluru that had been notified for the Bengaluru–Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP). Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, the Union Minister alleged that changes pushed through during Mr. Shivakumar’s earlier tenure in government enabled the diversion and private acquisition of land originally earmarked for the project.

Alleged misuse of BMICP framework and NOC process

Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that in 2004, when Mr. Shivakumar was the State’s Urban Development Minister and chaired the BMICP Authority (BMICPA), he was “instrumental in modifying the original framework agreement” to re-allocate land within the project, especially in prime areas close to Bengaluru. These changes, the Union Minister claimed, facilitated subsequent acquisitions by Mr. Shivakumar and his relatives.

Central to the allegations is the process by which parcels initially notified for BMICP were released on the basis of no-objection certificates (NOCs). Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), the project promoter, issued NOCs to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), stating that certain lands were no longer required for the corridor. “Once land is notified it becomes a government property,” he said, questioning how such land could later be acquired privately after being released through NOCs.

Family holdings cited with RTC records

To substantiate his claims, Mr. Kumaraswamy released 26 Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) documents that he said show ownership of land parcels either in the name of Mr. Shivakumar or his relatives. The holdings he cited are located in B.M. Kaval near Kengeri, an area on Bengaluru’s western outskirts that was notified for the BMIC project.

According to the documents presented by the Union Minister, the acquisitions include parcels held by the Chief Minister’s parents, Gowramma and the late D.K. Kempegowda, his daughter Abharana, and his brother and former Member of Parliament D.K. Suresh. These, he alleged, were obtained after the NICE–KIADB NOC process freed up notified land from the project.

Scale of NOCs and wealth growth claims

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that, in total, NICE had issued 420 NOCs releasing project-notified land, and alleged that between 150 acres and 200 acres within the BMICP notified area had been acquired by Mr. Shivakumar and his family. He further claimed that approximately 500 acres in all had been released from the project area through NOCs, and he specifically “pinpointed about 22 acres” that he said were held by the Chief Minister and his relatives.

Claiming a financial link to these transactions, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that Mr. Shivakumar’s personal wealth grew from ₹4 crore in 2003 to ₹1,413 crore in 2023 “mainly due to these deals.”

Allegations of irregularities and legal characterisation

The Union Minister contended that deviations from the BMICP’s agreed framework began “ever since Mr. Shivakumar became the Chairman of BMICPA by influencing the then Chief Minister (the late S.M. Krishna).” He alleged that both the Chief Minister and NICE promoter Ashok Kheny were “involved” in the irregularities.

He also asserted that the Karnataka High Court had characterised such land transactions as “a fraud on statute and Constitution,” and said State authorities had been deemed “accomplice in this fraud.” He did not provide specific case citations at the press conference but framed the allegation as part of a larger pattern of irregular land releases and acquisitions.

Demands for action and calls for accountability

Responding to Mr. Shivakumar’s earlier suggestion that such charges were motivated by “jealousy,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said: “If the Chief Minister takes action on the fraud, I will felicitate him. If he does not have the ability to take action and stop the loot, let him resign.”

He called for criminal proceedings against NICE promoter Ashok Kheny, urging authorities to impound Mr. Kheny’s passport and arrest him in connection with what he described as a ₹3 lakh crore fraud. The Minister did not detail the methodology behind that valuation but said it reflected the broader impact of alleged illegal land deals linked to the BMICP.

Next steps: farmers’ mobilisation and legal challenge

Outlining a course of action, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he would work to mobilise farmers who he claimed have not been compensated for nearly three decades since the project’s inception. “We will also initiate legal action and seek investigation through judicial intervention,” he said, adding that he was “ready for an open discussion” on the matter.

Project and institutional context

The Bengaluru–Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Project, promoted by NICE, envisioned a major transportation and development corridor linking Karnataka’s capital with the State’s second-largest city. Land acquisition and development oversight for the project involved multiple State entities, including the BMICP Authority and the KIADB. The role of NOCs issued by NICE to KIADB in releasing parcels from the notified project area is now at the centre of the allegations raised by Mr. Kumaraswamy.

Significance

The charges intensify a long-running political and legal dispute around the BMICP and bring renewed scrutiny to land governance in and around Bengaluru. While Mr. Kumaraswamy’s allegations hinge on document trails and procedural questions over land notifications, releases and acquisitions, any official response or investigation could have wider implications for accountability in infrastructure-linked land transactions and for the State’s political landscape.

Published: September 29, 2026