New Delhi:
The Supreme Court will today hear External Affairs Minister SM Krishna's plea seeking quashing of a First Information Report (FIR) against him in a land de-reservation case.
The Bangalore Lokayukta police had filed the FIR against Mr Krishna on December 8. The FIR also named Dharam Singh and HD Kumaraswamy, who succeeded Mr Krishna as Chief Ministers.
This followed a private complaint in the Lokayukta court by a businessman and social activist, T J Abraham, accusing Mr Krishna of taking decisions like de-reserving forest areas to facilitate illegal mining during his tenure as Chief Minister from 1999 to 2003. Lokayukta Court Judge NK Sudhindra Rao had directed the police to investigate the complaint.
Mr Krishna moved the Supreme Court after the Karnataka High Court declined to quash the FIR. In his petition, Mr Krishna says that policy decision of the government could not be looked into by the courts and the Cabinet decision was a collective decision of the Council of Ministers for which no one individual could be singled out for probe.
Last month, the Supreme Court had stayed the Lokayukta police probe against the minister. A bench of Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra said the "FIR is premature."
In his complaint, Mr Abraham had alleged that during his tenure as Chief Minister, Mr Krishna "illegally amassed wealth in the name of his family members, including his children and in-laws, and also in the names of his erstwhile close cabinet colleagues in return for de-reserving forest land for private companies".
Mr Krishna is facing a probe for de-reserving 34 forest blocks in Bellary and other places and allegedly allowing 10 private companies to mine in the area, despite opposition from the then state Forests Minister and the secretary of the forests department.
Mr Krishna has dismissed the allegations against him and said that he never handled the mines portfolio. (With agency Inputs)