Holding that senior IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Chairman of the Special Committee constituted to go into the alleged illegal mining in southern districts, could be “biased” against two companies for certain reasons, the Madras High Court on Wednesday appointed retired Justice V.K. Sharma to inquire into the case of the petitioners' leasehold areas alone.
Passing orders on pleas filed by Transworld Garnet India Pvt. Ltd and V.V. Mineral, Justice T. Raja said that the new Committee headed by Justice Sharma would give personal hearing to the petitioners, and submit a report to the State government with regard to the inspection of the their mines.
“Only in regard to the petitioners’ quarries, since the Chairman of the Committee [Bedi] is biased, the Government Orders are set aside, and a former Judge of this Court Justice V.K.Sharma, is appointed to undertake the task and to submit a report in three months,” the judge said.
After the new panel’s report, the government would consider it within three months thereafter, he said.
