The Hindu reported that BEML Ltd will have to produce Mineral Dispatch Permits before the Karnataka High Court to prove otherwise the allegation that it had illegally exported iron ore worth INR 118 crore from Karnataka during 2007-08.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice BV Nagarathna passed an order in this regard after state government counsel Mr RG Kolle submitted to the Bench that “Copies of the MDPs pertaining to the subject shipment should also be produced so that any doubt that the exported iron ore was illegally sourced may be put to rest.”

Pointing out that it would be difficult for transportation of iron ore without MDPs, Mr Kolle said production of MDPs and ascertaining its genuineness would ascertain the source of iron ore.

The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation petition by Mr K Subramanyam Sastry a shareholder of BEML, seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the illegal export of iron ore allegedly by BEML and assets of its Chairman and Managing Director Mr VRS Natarajan.

The petitioner pointed out that the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India in its 2009 report pertaining to BEML had stated that “The statutory auditors had detected sales of INR 425 crore shown as receivable from customers where even basic invoices were also not raised on customers… and INR 118 crore of sale of iron ore shown as exported without evidencing any document in support of export.”

Source - Hindu

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