HMT land: IFS officer seeks CBI protection

Bengaluru: The row over the recovery of Peenya Plantation land from the Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) has taken a new turn with the surfacing of a letter, written five months ago, by a senior IFS officer to the CBI alleging victimisation by the state government, and the recent move of the the Forest Department to suspend him. 

Sources said the government considered the letter to the CBI as an act of "misconduct" by the officer, R Gokul.

The forest minister recently recommended his suspension.

Gokul was among the four senior officials who were issued notices last year for filing an "erroneous" interlocutory application before the Supreme Court seeking permission to denotify 443 acres and 6 guntas of land in Peenya, valued at over Rs 14,000 crore.

Gokul's letter to the CBI Anti-Corruption Branch, dated December 26, 2024, expresses concern over the notice issued to him by the department. He noted that he was a prosecution witness in six cases related to illegal mining scam, including the Belekeri iron ore case in which Congress MLA Sathis Sail was convicted.

"The notice issued to me appeared in almost all the papers on 12.11.2024, even before I could receive a copy of the notice, which has caused irreparable damage to my reputation and I am being framed for a scam in which I have not done anything wrong. I have replied for the same on 12.12.2024," the letter to the CBI states.

The Forest Department's notice to Gokul had questioned why the interlocutory application was filed without getting clearance from the Cabinet. 

In his response, Gokul had stated that he only carried out the written directions of the government.

“The notice issued to me appeared in almost all the papers on November 12, 2024, even before I could receive a copy of the notice, which has caused irreparable damage to my reputation and I am being framed for a scam in which I have not done anything wrong. I have replied for the same on December 12, 2024,” the letter to the CBI states.

The officer wrote there was no wrongdoing on his part. “However, a notice has been issued. I am not sure what is in store for the future. Prima facie, it appears that I am being victimised because I was working as the deputy conservator of forest, Karwar Division, during which time the illegally transported iron ore from Ballari and other areas was seized in Belekeri port in the year 2010 and I had recommended for CBI inquiry into this case,” according to the letter to the central probe agency.

Further, the IFS officer requested the CBI to investigate the reasons behind the government issuing a notice and “defaming” him through news articles.

DH reached out to the forest minister’s office for a response. Sources said the minister had issued written directions on September 24, 2024, months before conviction of Sail, to issue notice (over the Peenya Plantation land) to all the officers concerned.

“The minister has taken steps necessary to recover lung space of Bengaluru which was being illegally sold. Considering the litigation officer had not taken permission of the high-level committee or the Cabinet and also got post-facto clearance from either of the two authorities, a notice was issued,” a source said. The source noted that notice was also issued to retired IAS officer Sandeep Dave, then-Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department; retired IFS officer Vijay Kumar Gogi, then- principal secretary of the department, and senior IFS officer Smitha Bijjur.

“Recently, the minister has also recommended suspension of Gokul and directed departmental inquiry against another. The government looks at the letter to the CBI as an act of misconduct,” the source added.