One of the key pieces of evidence cited by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Lokayukta to seek sanction for prosecution of former state chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, currently Union Minister for Heavy Industry and Steel, in alleged fraudulent allocation of a mining lease, is forensic verification of his signature on the file. The signature had allowed Vinod Goel, who claimed to be the proprietor of Shree Sai Venkateshwara Minerals (SSVM), to apply for a mining lease during the tenure of Kumaraswamy as CM between 2006 and 2008. These details were submitted by the SIT to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on September 19, 2023, when it first sought sanction to prosecute Kumaraswamy, documents accessed by The Indian Express show. The SIT letter said that Kumaraswamy, who held the Mines and Geology portfolio, did not heed the recommendations of his department officials and granted the lease to Goel, in contravention of the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960. It also highlighted the rapid pace at which files regarding the mining lease were cleared after Kumaraswamy's decision. On November 1, 2023, the IGP, SIT, submitted another letter to Governor Gehlot seeking sanction. It was only this month that he replied seeking some clarification on the matter. The Congress has been asking why Gehlot has been sitting on the case against Kumaraswamy, even while granting sanction for prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a Mysuru land allotment case. Responding to queries at a news conference Wednesday, Kumaraswamy claimed that his handwriting in the file related to SSVM was forged. On who could have done so, the JD(S) leader said: "It was 14 years ago. How can I remember? The SIT should investigate.” As per the SIT case, Goel sought lease for a 550-acre mining block in April 2006, along with 28 other companies, in the Sandur taluk of Bellary district. In August that year, the Director of Mines and Geology Department wrote to the state government saying the mining block had been surrendered, with mining in the area affected due to various court cases. Based on the Mineral Concession Rules, a proposal was submitted to the government with a comparative list of applications. It also sought relaxation of certain provisions. In October and December that year, the Commerce and Industries Department wrote to the Mines and Geology Department seeking clarification over the relaxation of the rules. However, the Mines and Geology Department did not respond, said the SIT letter. A year later, with Goel pushing for the lease, Kumaraswamy allegedly sought the file regarding the 550-acre land. The Mines Department submitted it with a note that there was no clear reason to grant a lease by relaxing the provisions and that the Centre had asked state governments not to submit proposals without clarifying reasons for the same. The SIT letter said that on October 6, 2007, contradicting the opinion of the Department, Kumaraswamy added a note with his signature on the file saying, "I have perused the records. The Mining Lease in respect of 550 acres of land in Jog, Thimmappagudi, Bhavihalli, NEB Range, Sandur Taluk, Bellary District is granted in favour of the following." The name of the lessee was typed in as SSVM and the file was sent to the Department of Commerce and Industry. Over the next three days, the file was cleared by various officials at the Commerce and Industry, as well as the Mines and Geology Department. By October 9, as per the SIT, an official had handed over a letter to Goel to submit to the Ministry of Mines. The SIT accuses Kumaraswamy of entering into a "criminal conspiracy" with Goel, adding that a forensic verification of signatures had found that the former CM had cleared the grant of lease. Apart from Kumaraswamy and Goel, the others named by the SIT are K Jayachandra, former additional secretary, Mines and Geology Department, and one of its officials, Javaregowda. TIMELINE: April 2006: 29 companies, including SSVM, apply for mining leases in Sandur taluk, Bellary district. April 17, 2006: The SSVM application is ambiguous on whether it is a partnership firm, and if so, who are the partners. Meanwhile, Vinod Goel – accused number one in the case – seeks a mining lease. April 17, 2007: Goel claims he is the proprietor of SSVM, and submits a letter saying he had received VAT registration. October 5, 2007: Then CM H D Kumaraswamy seeks the file regarding the 550-acre land at Sandur. October 6, 2007: Going against the opinion of the department, Kumaraswamy allegedly grants lease in favour of SSVM, and sends the file to the Department of Commerce and Industry. October 8, 2007: The file is cleared by the Mines and Geology Department. On the same day, based on alleged fraudulent documents, Goel approaches the High Court seeking directions for the mining lease. October 9, 2007: Jayachandra of the Commerce and Industries Department writes a letter to the Ministry of Mines over the mining lease and hands it over to Goel. However, he edits the date of the letter and labels it allegdly as 'draft' in the department files. August 26, 2009: Based on Goel's petition, the High Court passes an order asking Mines and Geology, and Commerce and Industries Departments to give appropriate directions. September 16, 2009: Goel writes to the Mines and Geology Department to implement the court order. 2011: Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining details the “fraud” in the grant of the mining lease. 2014: A complaint is taken up by the Lokayukta SIT police and investigations are launched. September-November 2023: The SIT writes to the Karnataka Governor seeking sanction to prosecute Kumaraswamy. August 2024: Governor seeks clarification on the Lokayukta request.
