Charges dropped against accused in Deccan Mining case

A CBI special court on Saturday dropped charges against all the accused, including retired IAS officer M Shamim Banu, in the Rs 1,232-crore iron ore mining case against Deccan Mining Syndicate Pvt Ltd (DMSP). The CBI had filed the charge sheet in the case in September 2013.

The CBI had pressed charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal trespass and also offences under Prevention of Corruption Act against CEO of DMSP Ritesh Milap Chand Jain, its Managing Director Rajendra Kumar Jain, the then Secretary, Commerce and Industries Shamim Banu, Principal Secretary M Vishwanathan, Deputy Director, Mines and Geology S K Raju and police inspector Ramakant Y Hullur. It was stated that DMSP had carried out illegal mining of iron ore in mining licence (number 2525), which fell within the lease area allotted to National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC).

The CBI had arrested Ritesh Milap Chand Jain, Rajendra Kumar Jain, retired IAS officer Vishwanathan and two other government servants during the investigation and named another retired IAS officer Shamim Banu in the charge sheet. The charge sheet stated that DMSP’s application for renewing its lease was cleared despite submission of a changed sketch, deliberately including vast areas of land leased to NMDC in two neighbouring villages – Kumaraswamy and Subbarayanapalli.

The court took cognisance of the charge sheet in September 2013 and summoned all the accused, including Banu.

Rejecting her appeal for interim bail, the court had remanded her in judicial custody. She was later granted bail.

On Saturday, CBI court judge Mallappa discharged all the accused. The CBI had registered the FIR in the case on the directions of the Supreme Court
in October 2011.
DH News Service