Trial in mining cases on slow track as HC stays 20 charge sheets

Court has also stayed investigation in five cases registered by SIT

At a time when the Supreme Court has referred to a three-judge bench to study if corruption cases can be stayed, state's Special Investigation Team (SIT) for mining cases has a reason to closely watch these developments.

For, the trial in the cases of illegal mining probed by SIT is on a ‘slow track’ as 20 of the 28 charge sheets filed by the SIT have been stayed by the High Court of Karnataka in the last two years.

The SIT, constituted by the state government to probe illegal mining and export of iron ore, has filed 28 charge sheets since 2015. These charge sheets pertain to illegal mining and export of 6.39 lakh tonnes of iron ore, which resulted in loss of Rs 97 crore to the state exchequer. Of the charge sheets filed by the SIT, 20 are against two sitting MLAs from Ballari district – B Anand Singh, the BJP MLA from Vijayanagara (Hosapete) and B Nagendra, Independent MLA from Kudligi. In all these charge sheets, several officials from the Department of Mines and Geology and Department of Commerce and Industry are named as accused.

“Of the 11 charge sheets, Singh has obtained stay in eight cases. The other cases are stayed on the petitions filed by others, including government officials. We are trying our best to contest the cases in the high court to ensure a speedy trial in the cases. The trial is under way only in eight cases,’’ a senior official told DH.

The SIT has so far registered 70 FIRs in connection with the cases of illegal mining in the state, including 28 already chargesheeted.

Sources said that investigation in five cases have also been stayed by the high court. Of the cases stayed at the stage of investigation, in a few cases  prosecution sanction orders (PSOs) have already received. However, the charge sheets could not be filed in view of the stay on investigation.

In one such case against Kumaraswamy Mining Company, the investigation was stayed after the state government accorded PSO against all the accused. The case was initially registered at the High Grounds police station by the Department of Mines and Geology and later transferred to the SIT.  Kumaraswamy Mining Company (lease number 2087) in connivance with officials of the Department of Mines and Geology got included iron ore mining in its working permission.

The lease only had permission to carry out manganese mining. The company had mined 56,000 tonnes of iron ore during 2009-10.