Mining case: SC asks SIT to probe role of two former Karnataka CMs

March 30, 2017

New Delhi, Mar 30: The Supreme Court today asked the Karnataka police SIT to probe the alleged role of two former chief ministers N Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy and others in de-reservation of 11,797 square kilometres of forest in Bellary district, leading to large-scale illegal iron ore mining.

Kumaraswamy
However, another former chief minister S M Krishna, who has recently joined the BJP, got relief as the apex court said that the investigation against him "shall remain stayed" and granted three months time to the SIT to file the report before it after probing the roles of other two CMs and former and serving bureaucrats.

The probe against Krishna was stayed by the apex court on November 16, 2016 on grounds including that the then Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde had not found any evidence against him.

A bench of Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman, meanwhile, restrained all other courts including the high court from passing any order in the matter and said, "We will keep it pending and we want to monitor it."

During the day-long hearing, the court said it wanted to see "some action" in the case as there was "no action" taken on the reports of the lokayukta.

Abraham T Joseph, a businessman and activist, had approached the trial court seeking registration of an FIR against various persons including the three former chief ministers alleging that they connived with several bureaucrats and others in de-reservation of 11,797 square kilometres of forest in Bellary district of Karnataka which led to large-scale illegal iron ore mining.

Initially, the court said there cannot be a "parallel investigation" by the state police after the lokayukta, which has investigating powers under the state statute, has probed the case and filed its reports with the executive authorities.

The bench did not agree with the submission that the probe against Krishna be also allowed, saying that there was nothing against the former chief minister in the lokayukta reports.

"The Gaikawad report says the chief minister (Krishna), who was in the office from 1999 to 2004, was hoodwinked by the bureaucrats," the bench said, adding that the "veracity of allegations against accused one (Krishna) is not substantiated".

The counsel for Kumaraswamy opposed the submission, saying that it would amount to parallel proceedings.

"We are not disposing of the petition. If you have any problem, you can come to us," the bench told the counsel for JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy. Earlier, a local court had ordered registration of FIRs against former chief ministers S M Krishna, N Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy in connection with alleged illegal mining. This order was unsuccessfully challenged in the Karnataka High Court.

Krishna had then moved the apex court and got a stay on the investigation on grounds including that he has not been indicted by the lokayukta. Joseph, in his complaint, had accused Krishna of destroying the state's natural resources for personal gain, while serving as the chief minister by dereservation of the forest areas which led to the illegal mining scam.

Besides the three former CMs, various senior officials were accused of conspiracy and corruption. It was alleged that Dharam Singh ordered issuance of temporary transport permits for the movement of iron and manganese ore from agricultural patta lands, resulting in a loss of Rs 23.22 crore to the government.

The complaint had further alleged that Kumaraswamy had illegally approved a mining lease in 550 acres of land in favour of Shree Sai Venkateshwara Minerals and committed illegalities relating to Jantkal Mining Company.

Senior officials named in the complaint by Joseph included Gangaram Baderia, Basappa Reddy, I R Perumal, Jija Harisingh, Mahendra Jain, K S Manjunath, Ramappa, Shankarlingaiah and V Umesh.

The lokayukta had submitted its reports to the authorities and so far, no criminal proceedings have been intiated.

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News Network
May 3,2024

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Mangaluru: The passenger vessel service between Lakshadweep and Mangaluru has recommenced operations with the arrival of Parali, a high-speed craft, at the Old Mangaluru Port on Thursday, May 2 

With 160 passengers on board, along with a pilot, a ship engineer, an assistant, and eight labourers, the arrival of the vessel brings hopes of reinstating this vital transportation link.

The passengers were welcomed by Congress brass. The vessels that used to arrive before the Covid-19 pandemic took 13 hours to reach Mangaluru from Lakshadweep. However, the introduction of the high-speed craft, Parali, has reduced the travel time to approximately seven hours, said Abubakar Ashraf Bengre.

Bengre is part of a team that has been instrumental in liaising with the authorities of both Lakshadweep and Karnataka to facilitate the revival of this service. He told reporters that the service would bring better economic activity to Mangaluru. 

Over recent months, discussions have been held with Hamdullah Sayeed, president, Lakshadweep Congress Committee, as well as Karnataka Speaker UT Khader and district minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, to garner support for the reintroduction of the service.

The passengers who arrived mostly sought medical treatment, went shopping or met relatives here. They said that they traveled for Rs 450. Former MLA J R Lobo said that they will urge the government to ensure regular vessel services continue.

The passenger service was discontinued due to a lack of demand, it is learnt. In the year 2018-19, 4,955 passengers embarked and 7,422 disembarked from the Old Mangaluru Port. Subsequently, the figures declined to 3,779 (embarked) and 2,294 (disembarked) in 2019-20. The numbers further plummeted to 561 (embarked) and 19 (disembarked) in 2020-21, leading to the suspension of the service.

At present, the administration of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep has released a schedule for high-speed craft movement from April 29 to May 5.

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News Network
May 1,2024

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday attacked the BJP over the obscene video case in Hassan district by questioning who gave the accused Prajwal Revanna a visa to go abroad. He also hit out at Union Minister Amit Shah asking why did he gave a ticket to Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal, who is the accused in the sex scandal case. 

He alleged that former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda planned the escape of his grandson and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna abroad. 

“Who gives passport and visa for travelling abroad? It’s the Centre. Can he go without the Centre’s knowledge? It was former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda who planned and sent him abroad,” the Chief Minister said.

"Prajwal pen drives case is not related to DCM DK Shivakumar. Why did Amit Shah give a ticket to the accused of a sex scandal?" he questioned.

Siddaramaiah also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to direct the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to cancel the Diplomatic Passport issued to Prajwal Revanna and ensure his return to face the law.

Prajwal is accused in an alleged sex scandal which is under investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Karnataka government. He is believed to have escaped to Germany shortly after polling in the first phase of elections in the state got over on April 26, in which Prajwal was the JD(S)-BJP combine's candidate from Hassan. 

The Karnataka CM said that SIT will conduct an investigation in a transparent manner in the case.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah wrote on X, "The government has decided to form a special investigation team in connection with Prajwal Revanna's obscene video case. Obscene video clips are circulating in Hassan district, where it appears that women have been sexually assaulted."

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News Network
May 8,2024

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru North police have apprehended a minor in connection with alleged voyeurism incident reported in a private medical college in Mangaluru. 

DCP (Law and order) Sidharth Goyal said that the minor was produced before JJ Board as per due procedure. The incident came to light when a mobile phone was found in women's washroom in the college. 

The mobile-phone was discovered as it was ringing even when no one was in the toilet by the security guard of the college. 

Investigations revealed that the mobile phone had been strategically placed in the restroom. As a result, a case has been registered under north police station.

Further scrutiny into the matter uncovered the identity of the accused, a minor male aged 17, who had gained access to the college premises under the guise of being a patient. Following his apprehension, the accused was presented before the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board in adherence to legal protocols.

The phone has been seized and a case has been booked under IPC section 354 (C), said the DCP.

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