NCPNR demands court-monitored probe into illegal mining

"Court-monitored CBI enquiry alone can lead to effective and decisive action against influential politicians and officials who either connived with mining mafia and exhibited deriliction of duty by inaction," he told reporters here.

Asked whether he hoped Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda and State Advocate General B V Acharya would plead for Supreme Court's intervention, Hiremath said it was a matter of getting "their act together" to seek court-monitored CBI enquiry.

"I don't think a responsible government should put itself in a situation where they are ordered by the Supreme Court to perform their duties ... we will give all necessary support to the government," he added.

Hiremath also urged Gowda, Acharya and Lokayukta Shivaraj V Patil to implement former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde's report on illegal mining and take action against those involved in the case irrespective of political parties.

Coming down heavily on the BJP leadership, he charged that instead of welcoming the arrest of mining magnate G Janardhan Reddy, the party, including Gowda, showed "keeness" to accord support to him.