Ballari: While the Supreme Court has appointed senior advocate, Fali S Nariman to assist it in deciding a plea by former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh to override the order of the Karnataka High Court asking him to pay Rs 23 crore to compensate the loss caused to the state exchequer by transportation of illegally extracted iron ore during his tenure in office, top bureaucrats close to the case claim the powerful mining lobby is to be blamed for his troubles.
Mr Singh , who headed the Congress-JD(S) coalition government between May 2004 and February 2006 , also handled the mines and geology portfolio and was often under pressure to issue permits to lift and transport iron ore from patta lands without a valid mining lease, according to them.
“When Mr Singh delayed issue of permits following strong objections from his senior officers, the powerful mining lobby led by miners-turned legislators tried to unseat him. Finally, yielding to the lobby, he passed an order to issue permits to save his chair.
But by then the lobbyists led by young miners-turned legislators from Ballari had formed the JD(S)-BJP coalition government," the officers claimed.
“The fact that orders of Mr. Singh were given effect to after he demitted office is irrelevant because there is no evidence to show that his orders were ever brought to the notice of the successor government,” they add.
