The Supreme Court on Friday asked its expert panel, the
Central Empowered Committee, to look into allegations of illegalities including
bribing Government officials leveled against Adani Enterprises Ltd and O P
Jindal Group's JSW Steel Ltd in the iron ore business.
JSW and Adani Enterprises have however denied these
allegations.
Acting on a Public Interest Litigation filed by the NGO
Samaj Parivartan Samudaya and others, the apex court also asked the CEC to file
a report by the next date of hearing slated for January 20.
In the submission made on behalf of the petitioners,
advocate Mr Prashant Bhushan said, “There is a need to extend the CBI
investigation to Adani Enterprises and Jindal Steel (JSW) that have been
strongly indicted in the report of the Lokayukta.”
“The illegalities of these two companies (Adani and JSW) are
not only linked with the persons and matters that are the subject matter of
current CBI investigations (against Associated Mining Co or AMC and Deccan
Mining Syndicate), but also involve top public servants and public
representatives,†Mr Bhushan added.
He added that “JSW and its front company South West Mining
Company” is facing allegations of illegalities including receiving illegally
obtained ore supplied by AMC, causing loss to the State exchequer by
overloading of illegal ore and making illegal payments to the close relatives
of the then Chief Minister Mr B S Yeddyurappa.
Meanwhile, the apex court also asked the CBI to complete its
investigation by January 20 into the alleged illegal mining in Karnataka. It
also asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education to conduct a
macro-level study on the mining areas in Karnataka.
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