PANAJI
Special Investigation Team (Mining) on Thursday filed a chargesheet before the Principal District and Sessions Court, Margao against former chief minister Digambar Kamat, Prafulla Hede and a mining official A T D’Souza for alleged illegal condonation of delay in renewal of Hede’s mining lease.
The 1,572 page chargesheet submitted by the SIT lists 40 witnesses and has levelled charges against the three accused under sections of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As per the FIR booked against him in September 2014, Hede allegedly operated a mining lease at TC (title of concession) no. 30/1950 in Collem village of Sanguem taluka between 1988 and 2007. Kamat was the minister for mines when the alleged illegality happened.
The complainant in the mining matter, Mines Director Prasanna Acharya had stated that the mining activity at the said lease was carried out
after unauthorized condonation of the delay in lease
renewal.
