Fresh revelations by the Dharwad-based Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS), a non-government organisation fighting illegal mining in the State, may mean more trouble for the family of the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa in the coming days.
The SPS on Tuesday released a set of documents to buttress its allegation implicating the family members of Mr. Yeddyurappa in the illegal mining case. The SPS submitted documents totalling 113 pages to the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on Tuesday.
Disclosing this to presspersons, SPS founder-president S.R. Hiremath, who is the petitioner in the writ petition filed in the Forest Bench of the Supreme Court on illegal mining in the State, said that the SPS had submitted “documentary evidence” to substantiate its allegation. The documents were submitted following a direction from the CEC, Mr. Hiremath noted.
“The SPS had established the connection between the favours done by Mr. Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister and also Mining Minister on the one hand and deposits (Rs. 6 crore in all) made by R. Praveen Chandra in two firms,” Mr. Hiremath submitted to the CEC.
He alleged that Mr. Yeddyurappa recommended mining lease for R. Praveen Chandra in his letter of September 30, 2009 to the Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Government of India and subsequently notified the grant of lease to the company on October 12, 2010 to an extent of 330 acres in the villages of Ramajjanahalli Kaval and Mallapur in Hosadurga taluk of Chitradurga district for iron and manganese ore.
In this context, Mr. Hiremath pointed out that Mr. Yeddyurappa had claimed consistently that he had not sanctioned even a single mining lease during his tenure as Chief Minister.
Mr. Hiremath, who released the documents to reporters, said that the documents established that Bhagat Homes Private Limited (BHPL) and Dhavalagiri Property Developers Private Limited (DPDPL), owned by the family members of Mr. Yeddyurappa, received Rs. 2.50 crore and Rs. 3.50 crore, respectively.
Both payments are shown in the balance sheets of BHPL and DPDPL whose directors are the family members of Mr. Yeddyurappa, Mr. Hiremath said.
The SPS accessed these documents several months after the former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde submitted his final report on illegal mining.
The documents submitted by SPS show that the Prerana Trust, owned by Mr. Yeddyurappa's family, received Rs. 27.18 crore donations from various persons or companies that include Adarsha Developers, Industrial Techno Man Power Supply and Services Private Limited, Real Technical Solutions Private Limited and South West Mining Company Limited.
The CEC is expected to submit its report to the Supreme Court on February 24, based on the hearing conducted on February 18 and documentary evidences submitted by SPS.
