In a setback to Satish Krishna Sail, Karwar MLA, the High Court of Karnataka refused to quash six charge sheets filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port.
Mr. Sail had questioned the CBI’s action of filling six separate charge sheets though the investigating agency had not registered a separate First Information Report when it took over the probe.
Justice Rathnakala, in the December 16 Order, said that filing of multiple charge sheets for the same case can’t be declared illegal as the apex court, in the case of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy vs. CBI, had approved filling of multiple charge sheets based on circumstances and involvement of separate entities and transactions in relation to a same case.
In Mr. Sail’s case too, the High Court said the CBI had filed separate charge sheets based on the transaction and involvement of different companies with Mr. Sail and his company Shree Mallikarjuna Shipping Pvt. Ltd.
On the plea of treating all six charge sheets as one or quashing of the charge sheets, the High Court said it cannot consider the challenge to the CBI probe, as the apex court in 2012 had barred all authorities and courts from entertaining any challenge to the CBI’s probe into mining scams.
While dismissing Mr. Sail’s petition, the court also noted that another Bench of the High Court had dismissed a petition filed by Kalpana Sail, wife of Mr. Sail and a director in his firm, based on the bar imposed by the apex court from interfering in CBI’s probe in mining scams.
