The state sought adjournment on the ground that some documents are yet to be filed
ADGP M Chandra Sekhar, who heads the SIT which is investigating illegal mining cases, on Friday lodged a police complaint against Union minister H D Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy for allegedly threatening him to scuttle the probe against the former CM. The probe against Kumaraswamy pertains to allegations that he illegally approved a 550-acre mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) in Bellary district in violation of law during his tenure as Karnataka chief minister from 2006 to 2008. He is now the Union minister for steel and heavy industries. "The SIT, after preparing the investigation report and having found substantial evidence and material to prosecute the accused (Kumaraswamy), had written to H E Governor of Karnataka seeking sanction for prosecution against the accused Sh H D Kumaraswamy on 21/11/2023," Sekhar said in his complaint lodged at Sanjay Nagar police station. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, vide his letter dated July 29, 2024, sought certai
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is unlikely to appear before the CBI on Thursday for questioning in an illegal mining case registered five years ago in which he is a witness, party sources said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is scheduled to attend a meeting of PDA "Picchda (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities)" at the party office here and has no plans to go anywhere till now, they said. In reply to a question, the Samajwadi Party's backward wing state president Rajpal Kashyap told PTI, "Akhileshji will attend a meeting of PDA at the party office today." "He is not going anywhere. He will be attending a meeting in Lucknow," Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said. About the CBI notice to Yadav, he said, "I don't have detailed information regarding this. But it is sure, he is not going to Delhi today." In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC, the CBI has asked Yadav to appear before it on February 29, officials said. The section all
The CBI has summoned Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as a witness for questioning on Friday in illegal mining cases, five years after registering the case. In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC, the agency asked him to appear before it on February 29 in connection with the case registered in 2019, officials said. The section allows a police officer to summon witnesses in a probe. The case pertains to the issuance of mining leases in alleged violation of e-tendering process. The Allahabad High Court had ordered the probe. It is alleged that public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16, when Yadav was chief minister, and illegally renewed licences despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal on mining. It is alleged that the officers allowed theft of minerals, extorted money from lease-holders and drivers. The CBI had filed seven preliminary enquiries in 2016 on the directions of the Allahabad High Court to probe the
The ED conducted raids over a dozen locations in Rajasthan in connection with its probe into a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged illegal mining case
The Enforcement Directorate has filed an FIR with the police against former Haryana MLA Dilbag Singh and a dozen others allegedly associated with him on charges of illegal mining and "diverting" the flow of the River Yamuna. The federal agency had raided the former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator from Yamunanagar assembly seat, Congress MLA from Sonipat Surender Panwar and their linked entities earlier this month in an alleged illegal mining linked money laundering case. It had arrested Dilbag Singh and his associate Kulwinder Singh after raiding about 20 premises of the two politicians and their linked persons in Yamunanagar, Sonipat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh, and Karnal. These searches were based on a case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), that took cognisance of multiple FIRs of the Haryana Police regarding illegal mining of boulders, gravel and sand that took place in the past in Yamunanagar and nearby districts even after the lease
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided locations of Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar, former INLD legislator Dilbag Singh and some others as part of a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in Yamuna Nagar district of the state, official sources said. As many as 20 locations of the two politicians and linked entities in Yamuna Nagar, Sonipat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh, and Karnal are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The money laundering case stems from several FIRs of the Haryana Police registered to probe alleged illegal mining that took place in Yamuna Nagar and nearby districts in the past.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided the premises of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's press advisor, the officials of Sahibganj district and a former MLA as part of a money laundering probe into alleged illegal mining in the state, official sources said. About a dozen locations in the state, including in state capital Ranchi and a premise in Rajasthan, are being raided by the central agency under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The premises of press advisor Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu, the collector of Sahibganj district, ex-MLA Pappu Yadav, an architect, some jail department officials and a police constable are being searched by the agency officials, sources said. An armed escort of central security forces went along with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. Prasad has been questioned by the ED in this case earlier. Sources said the action was undertaken on the receipt of fresh inputs in the case. The raids com
The government officials said that when intercepted, these illegal miners pretend that they did not realise entering Haryana and that they have the required permit to quarry stones in Rajasthan
According to the officials, the assets attached are in the form of six immovable properties owned by the accused
For instance, the officers involved in the scam used the code word 'Kilo' for a lakh rupees while transferring the amount to each other
According to sources, a team of three ED officials asked him about 100 questions on Thursday, and the Chief Minister can be again called for further questioning.
Soren wrote a letter to Enforcement Directorate assistant director Deovrat Jha and said it was impossible to evade royalty of Rs 1,000 crore in two years in Sahibganj
Telangana Minister Gangula Kamalakar, whose residence was raided by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in connection with a granite company involved in an alleged illegal mining case, said that he is cooperating with the government and will let the agencies investigate.Earlier on Wednesday ED conducted raids at Telangana minister Gangula Kamalakar's residence in Karimnagar in connection with a granite company involved in an alleged illegal mining case."ED officials have checked everything and went through all the documents, we will let the agencies investigate. We are cooperating with the government," Kamalakar said.Kamalakar, who is the Welfare & Civil Supplies Minister and was on an international trip, returned to Hyderabad city.Speaking to the media at the airport, he detailed the entire episode of the raids in his absence and claimed that he helped the officials open his lockers via a video call while he was in Dubai."We have granite companies/bodies, since the last 31
Amid the ongoing political turbulence in Jharkhand over CM Soren's possible disqualification as an MLA, state's Cong working president Bandhu Tirkey slammed the BJP
The Election Commission has sent its opinion to Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on a plea seeking that Chief Minister Hemant Soren be disqualified as an MLA for violating electoral law by extending a mining lease to himself, sources said on Thursday. The opinion was sent to the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan in a sealed cover this morning, they said. The Jharkhand governor had referred the matter to the poll panel. The BJP, the petitioner in the case, has sought Soren's disqualification for violating section 9 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts. Under Article 192 of the Constitution, if any question arises as to whether a member of a House of the Legislature of a state has become subject to any of the disqualifications, the question shall be referred to the governor whose decision shall be final. "Before giving any decision on any such question, the Governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall a
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a man identified as Prem Prakash in connection with its ongoing money-laundering probe into an illegal mining case in Jharkhand, officials said on Thursday. Prakash was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) around 2 am on Thursday and will be produced before a Ranchi court where the federal agency will seek his custody, they said. This is the third arrest in the case. Earlier, the ED had arrested Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Mishra's associate and muscleman Bachhu Yadav. The agency had on Wednesday launched searches at premises linked to Prakash in Ranchi, apart from a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Delhi-NCR, and recovered two AK-47 rifles and 60 bullets from a house linked to Prakash in the state capital here. The weapons belonged to two Jharkhand Police constables, who were suspended after the ED made the
The Enforcement Directorate raided multiple locations in Jharkhand on Wednesday and recovered 2 AK series assault rifles as part of an ongoing money-laundering investigation into alleged illegal mining in the state, official sources said. The weapons were kept in an almirah at a home in Ranchi, they said. The sources identified the premises to be linked to a person -- Prem Prakash -- involved in the case. The federal probe agency is covering about 17-20 premises in Jharkhand, neighbouring Bihar, Tamil Nadu and the Delhi-NCR as part of the operation. The searches were carried out after fresh information came to the fore following the questioning of Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Mishra's associate and muscleman Bachhu Yadav, the sources said. Both Mishra and Yadav were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in this case sometime ago. The ED probe began after the agency raided Mishra and his alleged associates on July 8, covering
Election Commission likely to hear the legal counsel for Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Thursday in the mine lease case in which the BJP has sought his disqualification as an MLA under electoral law
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids in over 18 locations in connection with Prevention of Money Laundering case related to illegal mining and misappropriation of MGNREGA funds