Apex court to hear Krishna’s plea Friday
January 26th, 2012 - 10:03 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) The Supreme Court will Friday hear a petition by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna challenging the registration of an FIR by the Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman) police on allegations that he had illegally de-reserved forest blocks for mining when he was chief minister 1999-2004.
A bench of Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra will hear the matter when it would be mentioned before the bench later in the day.
Krishna has challenged the Jan 20 Karnataka High Court verdict declining to quash the FIR registered by Lokayukta police in December.
His petition said that policy decision of the government could not be looked into by the courts and the cabinet decision was a collective decision of the council of ministers and for which no one individual could be singled out for probe.
The FIR was registered by police on the order of Lokayukta court judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao directing a probe in the wake of private complaint by a Bangalore businessman T.J. Abraham. Krishna’s two successors, N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy and 11 serving and retired senior officials will also be probed.
In his complaint, Abraham had alleged that during his tenure as chief minister, Krishna “illegally amassed wealth in the name of his family members, including his children and in-laws, and also in the names of his erstwhile close cabinet colleagues in return for de-reserving forest land for private companies”.
Krishna is facing a probe for de-reserving 34 forest blocks in Bellary and other places and allegedly allowing 10 private companies to mine in the area, despite opposition from the then state forests minister and the secretary of the forests department.
- Krishna moves apex court against Lokayukta proceedings - Jan 24, 2012
- Supreme Court relief for Krishna (Lead) - Jan 27, 2012
- Illegal mining: Court allows probe of Krishna, Kumaraswamy's role (Lead) - Jan 20, 2012
- Krishna moves high court to quash illegal mining case - Dec 09, 2011
- Supreme Court relief for Krishna - Jan 27, 2012
- Krishna declines comment on court ruling against him - Jan 20, 2012
- Krishna terms mining scam charges 'unholy' bid to malign him - Dec 08, 2011
- Illegal mining: Probe against Krishna stayed - Dec 15, 2011
- Illegal mining case: Hearing on Krishna's plea Thursday - Dec 14, 2011
- Three Karnataka ex-CMs named in mining scam FIR - Dec 08, 2011
- Krishna declines comment on demand for his resignation - Dec 10, 2011
- Team Anna accuses Krishna of mining graft in Karnataka - May 29, 2012
- Lokayukta denies naming Krishna in mining report - Jul 23, 2011
- Krishna must resign, demands BJP - Jan 20, 2012
- Krishna abetted illegal mining in Karnataka: NGO - Jan 05, 2012
Tags: apex court, cabinet colleagues, cabinet decision, chief minister, collective decision, council of ministers, court verdict, dharam singh, external affairs minister, forest land, gyan, krishna, kumaraswamy, misra, nijjar, policy decision, senior officials, state forests, sudha, surinder singh