The Supreme Court on Thursday asked its centrally empowered committee on environmental affairs to select the most severe corruption cases in the export of minerals at Karnataka ports to ensure these could be settled quickly, with exemplary punishment for the guilty.

The court passed the order in an application seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into allegations of top iron ore companies illegally excavating minerals at three harbours in the state Mangalore, Karwar and Belekere. It was alleged the minerals were transported using forged papers and kept by agents at the harbours, before their export.

The Lok Ayukta had already given a detailed report on the illegal activities.

A three judge bench headed by Aftab Alam stated if all the cases were investigated simultaneously, it would take a long time. The bench said that “There will be tonnes of documents and hundreds of witnesses adding if a few clear cases were selected, with prosecution and sentences announced in a short time, it would have a salutary effect on the rest. “Let us have some conviction.”

The judges clarified though other cases would not be left out, the first batch of cases should be acted upon within six months. The other cases would follow. For this, the CEC was asked to select the most severe cases.

Source - Business Standard

(www.steelguru.com)