Siddu says evil forces misleading Raj Bhavan

'Approval given without calling for auction, causing loss of Rs 6,420 crore to government'

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru

EVEN as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a protest petition against the Karnataka Lokayukta police's decision to close the MUDA case against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, an activist has sought Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's sanction to prosecute Siddaramaiah for allegedly illegally renewing mining leases of eight companies in 2015 during his first tenure as chief minister.

The activist, Ramamurthy Gowda, submitted his petition last month, while the governor called him and held a thorough discussion on April 1. Gowda pointed out to the governor that the government recently constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe illegal mining activities of companies, including the eight firms.

In his petition, Gowda requested the sanction for prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 17A & 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for granting in-principle approval and deemed extensions to ineligible companies with a history of illegal mining, in violation of Section 10A of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. "I approached the Lokayukta 32 times and also moved the CBI court. Finally, I approached the governor with extensive documents with citations. The governor heard me for half-an-hour and forwarded the file to legal experts," Gowda told TNIE over phone.