More troubles are brewing for the mining giant Vedanta Resources Plc. Blaming state government and Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for protecting accused in the infamous Rs 600-crore Rock Phosphate mining scam, a counsel in high Court A K Jain has moved the High Court requesting a CBI enquiry into the case.
The High Court, earlier in August this year, had issued notices to Director General of ACB and state government to come up with an explanation in three weeks as to why investigations have not been completed even after two years of filing the case.
Now that four months have been elapsed, Jain has submitted an application before High Court for a CBI probe. He has mentioned in the petition that despite the accusations being proved in the court, ACB has connived with Vedanta Group and the then principal mining secretary Ashok Singhvi to stall the investigations.
According to Jain, post independence mines of rock phosphate can be allotted only to state owned companies. In 1969, the central government had allotted 248 ha rock phosphate mine at Matoon village in Udaipur to Hindustan Zinc Limited which was then a public sector unit. Later in 2002 when Vedanta's Sterlite Industries acquired Hindustan Zinc as part of government's disinvetsment drive, the Vedanta Group acquired the possession of rock phosphate mines also deviating the rules.
However in 2008, ACB on the basis of a tip off and relevant documents registered a case against Vedanta and estimated a loss of Rs 600 crore to exchequer due to Vedanta's illegal possession of Rock Phosphate mines. But the agency didn't produce challan before the court. The matter was put under the wraps. But in 2015 when ACB arrested principal secretary Ashok Singhvi in the multicrore mining scam, the matter was again highlighted. Then on September 23, 2015 advocate A K Jain registered a case in ACB through libel. "Since then even after elapse of 2 years, there has been no progress in the invetsigation despite the orders of High Court," said AK Jain, the counsel.
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