BANGALORE: In what could spell doom to the first ever BJP government in the south, Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde in his final report on illegal mining, which he submitted to the government on Wednesday, seriously indicted Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the Bellary Reddy brothers, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy, among others and recommended their prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant Acts.Yeddyurappa has been accused of allegedly receiving Rs 10 crore as donation to a trust managed by his family from a loss-making mining company and also of selling an acre for a whopping Rs 20 crore to another mining company.The report also nails former CM Kumaraswamy, who has been indicted for approving two mining leases overlooking rules, and has gathered enough documentary evidence against the Reddys on their mining businesses in Karnataka.“I find it difficult to accept that a loss-making company could make such huge donations, that too by borrowing.It must have been made for reasons other than genuine ones and I find there is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” the Lokayukta told reporters at a jam-packed press conference, explaining why he indicted the CM in the report.After submitting the report to the government, the Lokayukta also sent a copy to Governor H R Bhardwaj, thus putting the ball in the latter’s court.“According to Section 12 (3) of the Lokayukta Act, I have sent copy to the Governor as he is the competent authority to take action against the CM,” Hegde said.Based on the recommendation, the Governor may give sanction for prosecution of the CM and ask the state government to take action against the other accused.Apart from the PCA, the governor can also initiate action against the accused under the Indian Penal Code, Forest Conservation Act or Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, the Lokayukta said.Immediately after his indictment was confirmed, Yeddyurappa went into a huddle with his ministers and MLAs and discussed the fall-out of the report.The much-awaited report, which contains 31 chapters, also indicted the Reddy brothers — Ministers Janardhan Reddy and Karunakar Reddy and family of Housing Minister V Somanna, Health Minister B Sreeramulu, BJP MLA Nagendra, Congress MP Anil Lad’s wife along with 787 others , including officials of all cadres.“The Reddys maintained that they have no mining business in Karnataka. But we have evidence to prove them wrong,” Hegde said.This apart, over 100 firms involved in mining and related activities have also been charged in the report.Illegal mining has caused a whopping Rs 16,085 crore loss to the state’s exchequer from 2006 to 2010, the report said, while recommending to the government to recover this money.
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