The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police to investigate the role of former Karnataka Chief Ministers N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy in the illegal iron ore mining case.
The Supreme Court directed the SIT to file a report within three months.
"I welcome the Supreme Court order directing the SIT to investigate the case. I extend full cooperation to the SIT police during the investigation," H.D. Kumaraswamy said in a statement.
The Supreme Court, however, said its suspension of the investigation against another former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, would continue during the period. Krishna joined the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on March 22 after quitting the Congress.
A bench comprising Justice P.C. Ghose and Justice R.F. Nariman restrained all other courts, including the Karnataka High Court, from passing any order in the case.
"Fighting corruption cases is not easy. One needs lot of patience to fight corruption cases. You will get success in corruption cases if you pursue with patience," T.J. Abraham, an activist from Bengaluru, told IANS.
Abraham had filed the complaint against Krishna and others seeking their prosecution for alleged irregularities in allotment of forest areas (11,797 sq km of forest in Ballari district in Karnataka) to private persons.
Abraham had cited former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde's report to contend Krishna and others, including some officers, had allowed de-reservation of forest land in violation of the apex court's order.
--IANS
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