Janthakal mining case: HD Kumaraswamy to be summoned soon
Janthakal: Arrested IAS officer tells SIT that then CM pressured him
Bengaluru: Special Investigation Team officials have confirmed that they will summon former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in connection with the Janthakal mining case.
The SIT had arrested senior IAS officer and Revenue Department Secretary Ganga
Ram Baderiya in connection with the case on Monday.
Sources said that they were questioning him in connection with the case and were gathering evidence. Mr Baderiya will be in SIT custody till Thursday.
Meanwhile, SIT sources confirmed that Mr Kumaraswamy will be summoned soon in connection with the case. “He was the chief minister when the process of granting and renewing licence to Janthakal Enterprises was done in 2007. Moreover, the arrested IAS officer had mentioned that the permission was granted as there was pressure from the chief minister and chief minister’s office to give permission to Janthakal Enterprises without wasting time. Under these circumstances, Mr Kumaraswamy needs to be questioned,” an officer said.
An official source confirmed that the former CM has a lot of explaining to do.
“As of now, the priority is to question the accused in our custody. As his custody ends of Thursday, we will try gathering all possible information from him. Based on his statements, other people involved in the case will be summoned.”
The sources, however, were not sure when the JD(S) leader would be summoned for interrogation.
Incidentally, Mr Kumaraswamy was questioned by SIT officials in August 2015 in connection with granting mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals, a mining company owned by Vinod Goel, also the MD of Janthakal Enterprises. During his visit to the SIT office, the officials had done arrest and release formalities as he had obtained interim anticipatory bail from the Lokayukta court.