SIT against ex-K’taka CMs

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka Police to investigate the role of former Chief Ministers N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy in the iron ore mining case and file a report within three months.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Karnataka police SIT to probe the alleged role of two former chief ministers N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy and others in de-reservation of 11,797 square kilometres of forest in Bellary district, leading to large-scale illegal iron ore mining.

However, another former chief minister S.M. Krishna, who has recently joined the BJP, got relief as the court said that the investigation against him “shall remain stayed” and granted three months time to the SIT to file the report before it after probing the roles of other two CMs and former and serving bureaucrats.

The probe against Krishna was stayed by the apex court on November 16, 2016 on grounds including that the then Lokayukta Justice N. Santosh Hegde had not found any evidence against him.

A bench of Justices P.C. Ghose and R.F. Nariman, meanwhile, restrained all other courts including the High Court from passing any order in the matter and said, “We will keep it pending and we want to monitor it.”

During the day-long hearing, the court said it wanted to see “some action” in the case as there was “no action” taken on the reports of the lokayukta.

Abraham T. Joseph, a businessman and activist, had approached the trial court seeking registration of an FIR against various persons including the three former chief ministers.