Accusing former Chief Minister Veerappa Moily of making a 'misleading' statement that the Yettinahole River diversion project had been cleared by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), environmental activist and convenor of the Paschima Ghatta Samrakshana Samiti (Western Ghats Protection Committee) K N Somashekar has sought a public apology from him.
He also demanded an apology from an official of Karnataka Niravari Nigama Limited (KNNL) for coming out with a similar statement.
Four applications, including one filed by him, on the project were pending before the Chennai bench of the NGT, Somashekar said in a statement here.
The applications filed by Purushottam Chitrapur, Kishore Kumar and Yathiraju were the other petitions pending before the tribunal, he said.
He alleged that the government was trying to drag the hearing in the cases relating to the project.
Moily and the official gave statements to the press on May 30 that the project had received NGT clearance, fully knowing the pendency of disputes, he charged.
The statements were deliberately made for political gains to mislead the people of Kolar and Chikballapur.
Being a political leader, Moily should have refrained from such acts which amounted to contempt of court, he said.
Somashekar said he had sent notices to Moily and Venugopal seeking unconditional apology failing which he would file a contempt of court petition before the tribunal.