Jaipur: Three months after taking a serious
note of illegal mining going on in the state, the Rajasthan
High Court has formed a special investigation team to look
into the matter.
The team, headed by retired justice KS Choudhary, has been
asked to file a detailed report within a period of two weeks.
The court also directed the state government to release a
sum of Rs 2 lakh as honorarium to the retired judge heading
the SIT.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Kumar
Mishra and Justice NK Jain (senior) passed this order while
hearing a bunch of PILs related to illegal mining on Friday.
The lawyers, arguing for the PILs, stated that government
machinery had no check on the menace.
The division bench expressed concern over the large number
of illegal mining activities brought to its notice from all
over the state and constituted the SIT.
On November 5, division bench comprising the Chief Justice
Mishra and Justice NK Jain-I had asked advocate general GS
Bapna as well as the lawyers contesting the PILs on the
subject to suggest some independent persons who could be
grouped into a `Special Investigation Team` (SIT) to check
illegal mining in Rajasthan.
The bench said that a team especially empowered by it
could put a check on the illegal mining racket and would help
identify and punish the government officials involved in it.
Recently a report filed by Central Empowered Committee
constituted by Supreme Court, said, "We find that there is
total inaction on the part of the officials in permitting
certain mining leases, and the officials have completely
failed to control the illegal mining going on in certain
areas."
The report was submitted after the Supreme Court passed an
order directing the CEC to file a detailed report regarding
the alleged illegal mining going on in some parts Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.
PTI
