Lokayukta police to investigate bribery in illegal mining cases

The State government has ordered the Lokayukta police to investigate the alleged payment of bribe to officials and non-officials by those involved in illegal iron ore mining, as per the findings of the Karnataka Lokayukta in its report on illegal mining in the State.

In its order issued on September 13, 2013, the government has directed the Lokayukta police to file criminal cases against all those who allegedly received bribe from the mining mafia during 2006 and 2010. The illegal mining report prepared by the then Lokayukta, N Santosh Hegde, had named 617 officials and non-officials as having received the bribe.

The then Lokayukta investigating team headed by U V Singh had come across 617 names after verifying documents seized by the Income Tax department during its raids on the residences of two of the former minister G Janardhana Reddy’s associates – Karadapudi Mahesh and Swastik Nagaraj – in 2009. Singh had recommended a thorough investigation against all those alleged to have received bribe.

The investigation had revealed that a man named Madhukumar Varma, who was running a mining firm, Madhusri Enterprises, had allegedly paid huge money to Reddy, his close aide Sanjay and other government officials and non-officials through hawala channels. 

The government has also directed the Lokayukta police to investigate the alleged payment of bribe by Gujarat-based Adani Enterprises, which was into iron ore export business. 

The firm had exported large quantities of ore from Belikere port between 2004 and 2008 and had allegedly bribed officials of the Mines and Geology, Forest, Police and Revenue departments, as per the mining report.