BENGALURU: The special court for the trial of cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs will pronounce on Saturday the quantum of punishment for the seven accused, including Karwar Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail, in connection with the illegal extraction and transportation of iron ore.
Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat adjourned the matters for pronouncement of the quantum of punishment after hearing the arguments of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the counsels of the accused in detail.
The convicted are the then Port Conservator Mahesh Biliye, Satish Krishna Sail, Managing Director of Sree Mallikarjun Shipping Private Limited, Chethan Shah, Managing Director of M/s Ashapur Menechem, K V Nagaraj, Director of Ms Swastik Steels (Hospet) Private Limited, its former director KV Govindaraj, Mahesh Kumar K alias Kharapudi Mahesh, partner of Shri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Minerals, Prem Chand Garg, Managing Director of Shri Lal Mahal Ltd. In addition to this, two other firms are also convicted. They are M/s ILC Industries Ltd. and M/s PJS Overseaz Ltd.
The senior public prosecutor has requested the court to impose just and suitable punishment along with a suitable fine so as to make good the loss caused to the government exchequer.
“Since the same requires consideration, the quantum of the sentence is not pronounced immediately. Accordingly, the accused are remanded to judicial custody till October 26, the next date of hearing. For orders of quantum of punishment, call the matter on October 26”, the judge said.
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI had filed a chargesheet after investigating the case following the directives issued by the SC on September 7, 2012, about the illegal extraction of iron ore and its transportation, based on the report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee.