CBI files charge sheet in Karnataka illegal mining case

The agency has pressed charges of criminal conspiracy, theft and criminal trespass

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CBI has filed a charge sheet in a special court in Bangalore slapping charges against a mining company, its top executives and two retired IAS officers in Rs 1232.39 crore mining scam in Karnataka.

The agency has pressed charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal trespass along with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Deccan Mining Syndicate Private (DMSP) Limited, its CEO Ritesh Milap Chand Jain and Managing Director Rajendra Kumar Jain.

The then Secretary, Commerce and Industries, Karnataka Government, Shamim Banu and Principal Secretary M Vishwanathan, Deputy Director, Mines and Geology, S K Raju, all retired, along with Ramakant Y Hullar, a police inspector, are also facing same charges.

"It was alleged that the said private mining company (DMSP) had carried out alleged illegal mining of iron ore in mining licence No.2525 which falls within the lease area allotted to National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC) in mining lincence No.1111," CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said here in a statement today.

She said the company was allotted to carry out the mining after altering and making modifications in the sketch belonging to the lease area of NMDC.

Sources said Banu while working as Secretary had allegedly recommended the renewal of mining leases with modified sketch.

Banu, who was posted in the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal, had to resign after controversy erupted. The agency has arrested all the accused who are in judicial custody.

A former IAS officer, Banu had pleaded for bail before the court but her application was rejected and she was sent in judicial custody.

CBI had taken over the case on the directions of the Supreme Court on October 1, 2011.