The Karnataka government would abide by the Supreme Court decision on the recommendation of Central Empowered Committee to extend Central Bureau of Investigation probe into illegal mining in the state, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Friday.
Sticking to its stand, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka on Saturday asserted that it would not entrust the probe into the illegal mining issue to the Central Bureau of Investigation, but said a report would be submitted to the Supreme Court on the issues raised by a committee appointed by the apex court.
There was hue and cry over the Lokayukta report on illegal mining in Bellary, and in even went on to cost B S Yeddyurappa his chair as the chief minister of Karnataka. But today the entire focus is on Goa which, according to the preliminary report of the Shah commission, gives the indication that illegal mining in the tourist haven is nothing short of the Bellary scenario.
A tractor-trolley collided with a three-wheeler in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, injuring two people, one critically. The tractor driver fled the scene, and the incident follows a recent death of a forest guard by a vehicle involved in illegal sand mining.
The row over former Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's insinuation that illegal mining was akin to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's dealings escalated on Tuesday with Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar calling it 'baseless and unwarranted' and also far from reality.
CBI sources say that they have information that 50 lakh metric tons of iron ore has been mined in various parts of the state and the value of the same is Rs 2500 crore.
Villagers in Gondia, Maharashtra, blocked a road to protest illegal sand mining after a woman was killed by a truck carrying illegally excavated sand. The protest highlights concerns about reckless driving and the dangers posed by illegal mining activities in the region.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of private complaint and probe by Lokayukta police against him over alleged illegal mining during his tenure as the Karnataka chief minister from 1999 to 2004.
Parliament was on Wednesday adjourned till noon after ruckus over demand by Bahujan Samaj Party for dismissal of Karnataka government following allegations of illegal mining in the state and Rashtriya Janata Dal claims of a deal between the government and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee on Friday said that large-scale illegal mining was going on in Karnataka, particularly in Bellary district, in connivance with officials and public representatives.A special forest bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia issued a notice to the state government and sought its response on various findings in the CEC's interim report, including the export of 304.91 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore without valid permit.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for over nine-and-half-hours on Thursday in connection with its investigation into an alleged illegal mining case.
Kerala police have arrested four individuals in connection with the violent attack on vehicles carrying Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who raided former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's rented house. The arrests followed a stand-off with CPI(M) party workers and leaders.
Close on the heels of the murder of an IPS officer by an alleged mining mafia, unidentified men on Saturday opened fire at police team which had gone to Ajaygarh to probe illegal mining in the area, said the police. After receiving reports on illegal sand mining in Ajaygarh, 40 km from Panna, a team led by Sub Divisional Officer of Police J S Markam went to spot to check out the facts, said the police. According to the police, the illegal miners opened fire on the police.
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has alleged that the violent attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials' vehicles was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) to disrupt law and order. The ED raids were linked to financial dealings between former CM Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter's firm and a sand mining company.
A first information report was registered against External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and two other former Karnatka chief ministers by the Lokayukta police on Thursday on a private complaint alleging that they facilitated illegal mining during their tenure
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has condemned the violent attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials' vehicles, alleging a CPI(M) conspiracy to disrupt law and order. He asserted that those involved will face stringent legal action, regardless of their status.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed poll rallies in West Bengal, promising jobs for youths and an 'infiltrator-free' state if the BJP wins the assembly elections. He also pledged to restore industrial glory, end syndicate raj, and ensure women's safety.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party members on Friday walked out of the Goa assembly protesting the speaker's action of not considering the Public Accounts Committee's report on the illegal mining in the state.
The Public Accounts Committee of Goa assembly has recommended an enquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation or the lokayukta against all those indicted by it in the illegal mining cases.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has directed Karunakar Reddy, one of the mining tycoons-turned-politicians Reddy brothers of Bellary, to appear before it on September 16 in connection with the illegal mining case.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday stayed a Central Bureau of Investigation's inquiry into the alleged illegal mining by the Obulapuram Mining Company, owned by Karnataka Tourism Minister G Janardhan Reddy and his family.
Hearing a PIL on the suspension of the woman IAS officer, the Lucknow bench of the court comprising justices Devi Prasad Singh and Ashok Pal Singh fixed August 19 as the next date of hearing
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has vowed to take strict action against any police personnel found involved in the drug trade, addressing concerns raised by the opposition regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The apex court also referred to a central empowered committee report that 31 hills or hillocks have vanished in the state's Aravalli area.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his family members on Wednesday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation court in Bangalore in connection with a case allegedly involving kickback in illegal mining.
They misbehaved with her, attacked their vehicles with canes and pelted stones
The Karnataka government has suspended 40 officials and staff and issued show-cause notices to 257 who have been named by Lokayukta reports in illegal mining in Karnataka, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said.
Investigations have revealed that the IAS officer Srilakshmi had violated several norms in allotting 68.5 acres of land to former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy's Obulapuram company. Mohammed Siddique reports.
Rahul Gandhi accuses Mamata Banerjee of not directly fighting the BJP, alleging that this indirect approach benefits the ruling party. He also criticised her government's performance on job creation and handling of corruption.
A special court on Monday extended till November 28, the judicial custody of mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy and his brother-in-law and Managing Director of Obulapuram Mining Company B V Srinivas Reddy, in the illegal mining case.
Months after the Karnataka's illegal mining scam exposed its politicians -- former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and the Bellary brothers -- G Janardhana Reddy, Karunakarana Reddy and Somasekehar Reddy -- a similar scandal is unfolding in Goa. The Goa scam has thrown open a can of worms and various reports suggest that the nexus between the two.
Amid intense speculation on the fate of the indicted Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde will submit his report on mining scam to the State government on Wednesday.
In a major setback to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, the Lokayukta court has ordered a probe against him in connection with an illegal mining case. The Lokayukta special court also ordered probes against former chief ministers H D Kumaraswamy and N Dharam Singh in connection with the same case. Lokayukta Special Court Judge N K Sudhindra Rao on Saturday directed the police to complete the probe by January 6 and submit its final report.
The Karnataka Lokayukta's report on illegal mining in the state is said to have named Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappaa, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, the Reddy brothers among others.
Jashanpreet Singh, the founder of the 'Punjabi Devils' motorcycle gang, has been sentenced to over five years in prison in the US for unlawful dealing of firearms and possession of a machine gun.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday searched offices of two companies, including one owned by the wife of arrested mining baron and former minister G Janardhana Reddy, and also the residence of his close associate B Nagendra.
Expressing shock at the magnitude of the alleged illegal export of 35 lakh metric tons of iron ore by private firms in Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it wants to explore the possibility if the guilty could be punished within six months.
These mines include B C Deb mines (Keonjhar), Arjun Ladha (Haromoto-Keonjhar), M L Rungta (Silijora-Keonjhar), Rungta Mines (Jajang-Keonjhar), Indrani Patnaik (Unchabali-Keonjhar), S N Dasmohapatra (Rudukela & Katasahi-Keonjhar), (Kalapahar-Keonjhar), Serajuddin & Company (Guruda-Keonjhar), Serajuddin & Company (Balda-Keonjhar), Raj Kumar Agrawal (Champasara-Bolangir) and B K Das (Kasiabeda-Mayurbhanj).
Punjab's AAP president, Aman Arora, has criticised Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu for alleged misconduct and objectionable behaviour towards police personnel in Dhuri, while Bittu accuses the AAP government of misusing the police to target BJP workers.
"The day news of the SP-BSP top leadership meeting came out, the BJP government used the CBI and raids were conducted in an old mining scam and the news of quizzing Akhilesh Yadav was deliberately spread. Is it not an action to defame the SP-BSP alliance?" Mayawati said.
