New Delhi, Jul 8 (DHNS): Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday contended before the Supreme Court that he was being made to suffer fresh investigations after the apex court’s approval to proceed against him in a case relating to de-reservation of mineral-rich forest land in Ballari in favour of Janthakal Enterprises.
“This court had given permission to investigate the case of Janthakal Enterprises. In that case, they (the Special Investigation Team) are not proceeding at all. In respect of many other cases, they are registering fresh FIRs,” senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, representing the JD(S) leader, submitted before a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.
The apex court had in March this year directed the Lokayukta SIT to conduct “thorough” probe into the alleged role of two former chief ministers N Dharam Singh and Kumaraswamy and others in de-reservation of 11,797 sqkm of forest, leading to large-scale illegal iron ore mining.
However, another former chief minister S M Krishna had got relief as the Supreme Court had then said that the investigation against him “shall remain stayed” as directed on January 27, 2012 and reiterated it later.
On Friday, Kumaraswamy’s counsel pointed out that since the apex court had earlier directed that no other court should interfere into the matter, he did not have any option but to seek protection here.
Advocate Joseph Aristotle, appearing for the Karnataka government, submitted that the apex court has so far not issued notice to the 2014 special leave petition filed by Kumaraswamy against the High Court of Karnataka order declining to quash the criminal proceedings against him in the case relating to de-reservation of forest land.
On this, the Supreme Court sought the state government’s response within two weeks to Kumaraswamy’s petition.
The court then put the petitions filed by former chief minister S M Krishna, former IAS officers D S Ashwath, Shankaralingaiah and K Srinivasa for consideration on July 27. The court also took into record a status report filed by the SIT, in a sealed cover, in respect of investigation conducted so far in the matter.
In a complaint, activist T J Abraham had relied upon a report prepared by the then Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, indicting the then chief ministers and bureaucrats in de-reservation of 11,797 sqkm of forest land in 2002-03 in Ballari district, resulting in huge losses to the state government.