Rejecting the allegations levelled against JSW Steel in the Karnataka Lokayukta report, the Sajjan Jindal-led firm on Thursday said it was “appalled and concerned with the untenable conclusions” drawn in the report.
Giving its rebuttal on allegations of seeking favours to get iron ore mining leases and other illegal actions made in the report, the company claimed itself as an aggrieved party that had not been allotted a single captive mine despite being the biggest investor in the State.
“However, it is not looking at taking legal recourse for now but it may do so in future, JSW Steel's Joint Managing Director M.V.S. Seshagiri Rao told journalists here.
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He, however, evaded direct answers to questions on his firm's transactions with former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's sons, son-in-law and other family members.
When asked about the accusations of paying excess money to former Mr. Yeddyurappa's sons for buying an acre of land, eventually which triggered resignation of the BJP leader, Mr. Rao claimed that the company paid market price and was willing to make its sale deed agreement public.
The company was accused in the Lokayukta report of paying excess money to the tune of Rs. 20 crore to Mr. Yeddyurappa's sons against the prevailing market price of Rs. 1.24 crore.
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“As and when any body wanted to see, we will be able to prove it is market price... If that satisfies that we have paid at market price as per the sale deed, we will give the copy of the sale deed,” he said.
Claiming that purchase of land was as per the terms of the agreement between the two parties, Mr. Rao said, “whether it is paid on the date of sale or paid subsequent to the sale, it is irrelevant.”
The Lokayukta report had accused the company of paying extra money subsequent to the sale agreement