Karnataka: No paper trail, no Janthakal smear on HD Kumaraswamy ?
The second file for renewal of lease of the particular mine to Janthakal was, however, sent to the then CM for his sanction.
Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Lokayukta on Tuesday issued summons to former chief minister and JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy to appear before it for questioning in the illegal, multi-crore Janthakal mining scam. However, Mr Kumaraswamy may come off the hook in the absence of any "concrete evidence" against him, official sources told this newspaper.
“The controversial file on the sanction for Janthakal Enterprises in 2007 to export an old dump of 1.2 lakh tonnes of mined ore in Holalkere, Chitradurga district was reportedly never sent to Mr Kumaraswamy for his signature, because not all files are sent to the CM for signature. In this particular case, the file ended with Mr Ganga Ram Baderiya, who was the then director and commissioner, Mines & Geology, and the final authority on the mater. The second file for renewal of lease of the particular mine to Janthakal was, however, sent to the then CM for his sanction. Mr Baderiya's claim that he had committed the alleged illegality under the instructions of the then CM so far has no evidence. The investigation cannot be conducted on hearsay," said an officer on condition of anonymity.
He said that Mr Baderiya had reportedly granted permission to Janthakal to lift the iron ore even before verifying the credentials of the two forged letters of permission by the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) to mine ore from the reserved forests, which were submitted by the owner of Janthakal Enterprises - Vinod Goel, who was arrested in 2015.
The SIT had repeatedly summoned Mr Baderiya in connection with this case and arrested him on May 15 after he failed to give any 'credible' explanation on certain issues, of forgery and the Rs 10 lakh cheque, which was deposited into the account of Mr Baderiya's son by Goel during the time the licence of Janthakal Enterprises was renewed.
Mr Baderiya, a 1989 batch IAS officer, had renewed Janthakal's mining lease for 40 years from 1985 to 2005 and from 2006-2025 on August 23, 2007 through two notifications. The Lokayukta report on illegal mining has quoted Mr Baderiya's order to lift ore, in which he had stated that the CM had given him an "ultimatum that the permission should be given within TWO HOURS, without loss of time."
Baderiya in hospital
The SIT has not been able to question Mr Baderiya after he complained of chest pain and was admitted to Victoria Hospital on Tuesday evening. "He is a cardiac patient and had a stent implant 17 years ago. He is under medical supervision at Victoria Hospital,” said an official source.