04 December,2011 09:12 AM IST | | Correspondent
A Karnataka court on Saturday ordered a Lokayukta police investigation into a private complaint against three former Karnataka chief ministers, including present External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, over allegations that they permitted illegal mining during their tenure.
Lokayukta Court Judge N K Sudhindra Rao directed the Lokayukta ADGP to conduct the probe, which would also cover former chief ministers N Dharam Singh (Congress) and H D Kumaraswamy (JDS), and asked it to submit the report to him by January 6.
The order was passed under section 156 (3) of CrPC (power to investigate cognisable cases).
The complainant T J Abraham has accused Krishna (who was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from October 1999 to May 2004), and his successors N Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy of having indulged in various acts of omission and commission of illegalities in relation to grant of leases for mining in the state during their tenure as chief ministers. He has also named 11 officials as co-accused.
