CBI registers case against mining officials, private firm

CBI's Bhopal branch has registered a case against some officials working with government mining regulators along with employees of a private mining firm on the basis of a report by the Income Tax (IT) department.
The government mining officials belong to the offices of the Zonal Controller of Mines, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS).
The private employees are from the firm SR Ferro Alloys.
The cases were registered on September 17 against the above after an appraisal report from the IT department suggested payments by the firm to the officials.
The said officials are based in Jabalpur, Nagpur and Surat, a CBI release said.

"The preliminary inquiry has been registered on the basis of a complaint received from Dr KG Goyal, Director of Income Tax (Investigation), Bhopal, along with an appraisal report based on search and seizure proceedings conducted under Section 132 of the IT Act at the various premises of the SR Group," it said.

The appraisal report revealed that more than Rs 12 lakh were paid to the officials of IBM and DGMS by SR Ferro Alloys.
The company, among others, extracted manganese ore at Kajli Dongri village in Jhabua district and Jai Minerals, a firm with links to the former, extracted iron ore, hematite and laterite at Sindursi village in Jabalpur district, the report said.

SR Ferro Alloys is the flagship of SR Group, Bhopal, and Jai Minerals, a proprietary firm, is reportedly linked to SR Ferro Alloys, CBI said.
As per the IT report, the officials might have compromised with the norms for the benefit of Jay Minerals and SR Ferro Alloys.
SR Ferro is owned by Sudhir Sharma.