Janthakal case: HC tells SIT not to arrest Kumaraswamy till June 20

DHNS

June 16, 2017

Bengaluru, Jun 16: Granting interim relief to former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy in the Janthakal mining case, the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) not to arrest him till June 20.

Kumaraswamy had filed an anticipatory bail application before the high court after his advance bail was rejected by the Lokayukta Special Court on June 13.

During the hearing, Kumaraswamy’s counsel Hashmath Pasha submitted that his client was named in two other similar cases and had got bail from the Lokayukta Special Court. “Cases are being registered against my client in the same case with different case numbers. But this time, there has been abuse of the legal process,” he said.

Pasha said that there is an apprehension that his client could be arrested by the SIT. He sought an interim bail from the court till the disposal of the petition and said that his client would cooperate in the investigation.

Justice Rathnakala said that the SIT would not stoop to such a level while investigating into such issues. The judge directed the SIT not to arrest Kumaraswamy till the next date of hearing on June 20

and ordered notice to the SIT and directed it to file its objections.

The SIT has registered a case against Kumaraswamy after he was named by the IAS officer and an accused in the illegal mining case, Gangaram Baderiya.

He was booked for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and giving false information, criminal conspiracy under the IPC sections. Kumaraswamy has been booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

The SIT had arrested Baderiya for according mining permission to Janthakal Enterprises in 2006. During the probe, in his statement, Baderiya said that the licence for mining was given on the instructions of the then chief minister Kumaraswamy.

The SIT had summoned Kumaraswamy to appear before the investigating officer. He later filed an anticipatory bail plea before the lower court, which was rejected on June 13.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments