Karnataka minister HK Patil pulls up own government over illegal mining cases

Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging him to punish those guilty of illegal mining in the state, alleging that the government has not been honest and committed to ensuring proper punishment for those guilty of "looting the state's wealth".

In order to bring the culprits behind illegal mining to justice, Patil also suggested steps that the Siddaramaiah government should take, according to him.

In a seven-page letter to the Chief Minister, Patil claimed that only 7.6 per cent of all illegal mining cases have been investigated and that the government has not done enough to punish the culprits and recover the lost wealth.

"Between 2007 and 2011, massive treachery took place in Karnataka in the form of illegal mining. Politicians and bureaucrats systematically looted the state’s wealth. The government lost Rs 1.5 lakh crore. But in spite of such a large-scale loot, the government has not demonstrated honesty and commitment in ensuring commensurate punishment for the loot and recovery of the state’s wealth," Patil said in the letter.

Patil said that there is public outrage over illegal mining in the state and the administration's inability to address most of such cases.

"There is outrage among people about this. A special investigation team (SIT), which is looking into a few cases, has not made progress. These cases are getting buried in government files and administrative delays," he lamented.

Patil also suggested steps that can be taken to effectively address illegal mining and their investigation:

1. Through the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance of 1946, a Recovery Commissioner should be immediately appointed within the jurisdiction of the State Government to seize the property of criminals accused of recovery efforts. This Commissioner must be provided with the necessary support and strength. Steps must be taken with firm determination to make recovery effective.
2. Compared to the number of illegal mining cases that have completed investigation and are now in the trial phase in court, there are at least ten times more cases that have not yet undergone investigation. Investigations into such cases are essential. For that purpose, a special investigation team with stronger enforcement authority should be formed, and the police system should be structured accordingly, enabling the punishment of criminals involved in such crimes.
3. A special court must be immediately established to investigate the cases with criminal intent related to illegal mining.

The Karnataka Law Minister further called for administrators to recognise the seriousness of the matter, saying, "The serious directives already given, and the documentary evidence submitted to the then-Cabinet subcommittee, must be preserved, and a final decision must be made before they disappear for any reason".

The state minister's scathing letter came more than a month after a CBI court convicted former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy and three others in the Obulapuram illegal mining case. The matter concerned the investigation into the case involving the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), owned by Reddy.

The OMC case involved allegations of illegal iron ore mining and export in the Bellary region of Karnataka and the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Investigations revealed that OMC had obtained mining leases under the guise of captive mining but had engaged in unauthorised mining activities.