The Hindu : Front Page : U.L. Bhat panel may be wound up

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Tuesday, Mar 06, 2007
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U.L. Bhat panel may be wound up

S. Rajendran

BANGALORE: The Justice U.L. Bhat Commission of Inquiry probing the alleged irregularities in large-scale iron ore mining in Karnataka is likely to be wound up eight months after it was set up.

Sources in the Secretariat told The Hindu here on Monday that the matter was likely to figure at the next Cabinet meeting. Ministers in the coalition government were said to be up in arms against the commission and had even labelled it a "wasteful expenditure". The Government was keen on constituting a commission of inquiry in the face of the Rs. 150-crore bribery allegations levelled against the Chief Minister and two of his colleagues — Home Minister M.P. Prakash and Minister for Forests C. Chennigappa.

The commission, headed by U.L. Bhat, former Chief Justice of the Asssam and Madhya Pradesh High Courts, was first told to submit an interim report within two months and a final report in six months.

The constitution of the commission was notified on July 22 and it was subsequently given extension of four months.

The scope of inquiry and findings of the commission was for a period commencing from January 1, 2000 to date.

Asked for reasons behind the decision to wind up the commission, the Secretariat sources said the details could not be made known now.

It was pointed that the commission had failed to get a response. BJP MLC Janardhan Reddy, who had levelled allegations against the Chief Minister and some of his colleagues, had stayed away from the commission. The Congress too stayed away from the commission.

Mr. Reddy and the Congress wanted the Central Bureau of Investigation probe, which was not agreeable to the State Government.

Meanwhile, Mr. Janardhan Reddy had stuck to his campaign and had moved the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court.

In another development, the commission of inquiry had directly sought the services of the CBI in the investigation. The State Government had deputed two police officers to assist the commission.

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