Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister and former chief minister of Karnataka SM Krishna on Friday filed an appeal in the state high court in connection with a case related to illegal mining registered against him by the Lokayukta Police.
The appeal was moved a day after, the Lokayukta Police lodged a complaint against three former Karnataka chief ministers including Krishna in connection with the illegal mining activity in the state.
Besides Krishna, the Lokayukta Police also registered FIR against former chief ministers HD Kumarasawmy and Dharam Singh.
Admitting a private complaint filed by TJ Abraham on December 3, Lokayukta Court Judge NK Sudhindra Rao had directed the police to investigate it and submit a report on or before January 6.
The complainant had alleged Krishna, who was the Chief Minister from October 1999 to May 2004, and Dharam Singh and Kumaraswamy permitted illegal mining for pecuniary gains.
Abraham, a city-based social activist and a businessman, had submitted that his complaint was based on the report on illegal mining presented to the government by then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde in August.
With this, four former chief ministers are facing Lokayukta police probe based on private complaints. B S Yeddyurappa was released on bail last month after his arrest on a private complaint alleging irregularities in land denotifications to benefit his family members.
ADGP Rao, in a press release, said the investigation of the case had been entrusted to a team comprising Tumkur Lokayukta Superintendent of Police SM Jagadeesh Prasad, who will be the chief investigating officer.
Besides the three top politicians, several top ranking officers posted in the state have also been booked in the case. Officials named in the FIR include six former managing directors and three deputy general managers of Mysore Minerals Limited, a public sector unit.
With PTI Inputs
First Published: Friday, December 09, 2011, 15:49