7 more officers to expedite SIT probe into illegal mining: CM
GOANEWS & PTI, PANAJI | 23 April 2014 20:19 IST
Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar plans to appoint seven more police officers to expedite the ongoing probe into illegal mining, following Supreme Court decision.
The apex court has held that all mining done after 2007 is illegal since not a single lease was renewed while ore was extracted for five years.
The Special Investigating team, probing into the illegal mining case, has already arrested former mines director Aravind Lolayekar while several other officers as well as former chief minister (mines minister) Digambar Kamat has been interrogated.
Questions were however raised by social activists and environmentalists over their delay to arrest the then chief minister Kamat and the mine owners, named in the Commission report.
In response to this, Parrikar claims that the Supreme Court order in the mining case has vindicated his stand that no action could be taken against those named in the Justice MB Shah Commission of inquiry without proper investigation by the police.
"The court has said that unless the parties are heard, it cannot proceed against them and therefore cannot direct the government to prosecute anyone," Parrikar said.
"This is what I have been saying for last two years," the chief minister said.
The SC in its order has said that Section 8B of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 provides that if a person is likely to be prejudicially affected by the inquiry, the Commission shall give to that person a reasonable opportunity of being heard and to produce evidence in his defence.
Goa government had taken a stand before the court that "no action will be taken against the mining lessees only on the basis of the findings in the report of the Justice Shah Commission without making its own assessment of facts and without first giving the mining lessees the opportunity of hearing and the opportunity to produce evidence in their defence."
Upholding the state government stand, the court had said that it cannot direct prosecution of the mining lessees on the basis of the findings in the report of the Justice Shah Commission, if they have not been given the opportunity of being heard and to produce evidence in their defence and not allowed the right to cross-examine and the right to be represented by a legal practitioner before the Commission.
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