Activists allege that the police are under political pressure and are trying to keep the news of Pawar’s arrest out of the public domain.
Amid speculation that chief of Metachem Mining Company Private limited (MMPL), Jayant Pawar, was arrested in Pune following a charge sheet filed by the Karnataka CID, the police have denied the action. Activists allege that the police are under political pressure and are trying to keep the news of Pawar’s arrest out of the public domain.
Meanwhile, the magistrate in Ankola is on a vacation due to personal reasons, said court officials. In his absence, the Kumta magistrate is in charge, but has no jurisdiction over Belekeri mining issues as the charge sheet was filed in an Ankola court.
“No arrest has been made in the past three days in relation to the Belikeri ore theft issue. The news of Jayant Pawar’s arrest is a rumour,” K Bheemaiah, superintendent of police CID, said. Bheemaiah is the investigating officer in the Belikeri case.
Additional DGP (CID) Shankar M Bidari has also denied any knowledge of Pawar’s arrest.
But sources in the police and Ankola court said the chargesheet against MMPL and its directors have been issued following the arrest of an MMPL manager, S Shivaprakash. He was arrested in September, but was later released on bail.
“This is a ploy to protect MMPL’s directors and chairman. How can the CID make an employee responsible for the impropriety committed by the company directors and top-brass? They should have booked the directors who sold the ore without presenting proper documents to the Lokayukta or CID,” said RTI activists of Ankola.
Also, the Ankola police have received information from Pawar’s office in Pune that signatures on the documents approving the sale were forged and that he did not have knowledge of it till the chargesheet was filed.
Police sources said MMPL’s lawyers will make a fresh appeal to the court on Tuesday, and seek exemption for Pawar from the CID chargesheet.
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