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HDK moves court for anticipatory bail

Last Updated 16 May 2017, 17:03 IST
A day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing illegal mining cases in the state, arrested senior IAS officer Gangaram Baderiya for allowing a mining company to lift iron ore after receiving a bribe of Rs 10 lakh through cheque, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday applied for the anticipatory bail.

Kumaraswamy moved the court for the anticipatory bail Baderiya claimed that there was heavy pressure on him by the Chief Mnister’s office to sign certain documents. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister when the incident took place. The SIT officials were planning to serve notice on HD Kumaraswamy. Hence, he applied for the anticiaptory bail. Kumaraswamy’s bail petition will come up for hearing on Wednesday.

The case relates to granting permission to Janthakal Enterprises, a company owned by mining baron Vinod Goel, to lift iron ore on the basis of two forged letters of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Baderiya  was director, Mines and Geology Department, when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister. He accorded permission based on the letters issued by the MoEF, which were forged by Goel. Immediately after the permission was accorded, Janthakal Enterprises lifted and transported 1.70 lakh MT of iron ore.

The Lokay­ukta report on illegal mining (part-2) had stated that Janthakal Enterprises submitted forged MoEF letters of no objection to lift and transport iron ore in old dumps in Chitradurga. Goel’s application seeking permission to lift iron ore was pending before Baderiya in 2007.

The Lokayukta report-2 on illegal mining has an interesting note by Gangaram Baderiya before the permission was accorded to Janthakal Enterprises. The noting was made when H D Kumaraswamy was the chief minister.

In August 2015, Kumaraswamy was arrested and released on anticipatory bail in the case of granting mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals (SSVM), also owned by Goel. This case was registered by the SIT based on certain illegalities in granting mining lease to SSVM, mentioned in the Lokayukta report (part-2).

Of the 29 applications received by the Director of Mines and Geology in respect of land in NEB Range (Sandur taluk, Ballari district), SSVM's was the last application. However, on October 5, 2007, when the file was placed, Kumaraswamy made a note directing the officials to consider SSVM for the lease.
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(Published 16 May 2017, 16:59 IST)

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