Private steel major JSW Steel, which has been caught-up in the illegal mining scandal, has refuted allegations that the company indulged in “criminal conspiracy” with the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.
In a statement here on Thursday, the company said that the charge that the company caused losses amounting to Rs. 890 crore to the publicly-owned Mysore Minerals Limited (MML) were “misleading”.
It alleged that the adverse media coverage, based on the press release of the Central Bureau of Investigation, has caused “irreversible loss/harm” to JSW Steel.
“The company and its officials are yet to be served with a copy of the charge sheet,” it said.
The company claimed that neither the Lokayukta Court nor any other authority in the State has ever made the charge that JSW Steel has caused losses to MML, despite the two companies operating a joint venture for over a decade. The company had filed case against MML for Rs. 216 crore, which was “illegally recovered” from the joint venture, it said.
JSW Steel alleged that the governments in the State had failed to abide by an order issued in October 1994 to make available power, water, captive mines and other infrastructure for the company’s operations in Bellary district.
The State government’s failure “to place the fact before the public/authorities” has “maligned” the image of the company, it said. Though the company is aggrieved, yet its image is being maligned, it said.
