Illegal mining: HC rejects UP govt plea for withdrawal of CBI

The Allahabad High Court today rejected an application by the Uttar Pradesh government for withdrawal of a two-month-old order whereby the CBI had been directed to investigate allegations of illegal mining across the state.
The probe agency also submitted a report on its findings in a sealed cover. The CBI had been asked to file its report within six weeks.
A division bench comprising Justice D B Bhosale and Yashwant Varma rejected the application of the state government seeking withdrawal of order dated July 28, 2016, asking CBI to conduct an inquiry into allegations of illegal mining.
The court later deferred hearing in the matter till September 12.

It had passed the order of CBI inquiry while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Vijay Kumar Dwivedi and others who had alleged that mining leases of a number of lessees had been "unlawfully extended" in the state after the same had expired in 2012.
The court had, while ordering a CBI probe, observed that the claim made in affidavits filed by District Magistrates across the state that no illegal mining was taking place in their areas of jurisdiction was "false" and dismissed as an "eyewash" the submission of principal secretary (mining) that a committee had been set up to look into allegations of illegal mining.