Madras high court orders CBI probe into Rs 5,832crore beach mineral mining scam

CHENNAI: Madras high court has ordered a CBI probe into the Rs 5,832crore illegal beach mineral mining scam in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts.

On Monday, a division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice M Jothiraman directed the CBI to investigate the suspected political nexus and the role of the policy-making authorities in conspiring with the private mining companies.

“When officials fail to act on complaints and remain mute spectators to the wrongdoings happening, it is not only unconstitutional but erodes public confidence, thereby leading to systemic dissolution. Power is constitutionally granted to the executive to act for the protection and benefit of the public, and any omission to act is in itself unconstitutional,” the court said.

Corruption in mining has become a norm and was standardised by the officials involved. A pattern can be drawn from these illicit sand mining operations. The triangular link is undeniable here between the political, executive, and the mining lessees. It has become systemic corruption, the judges added.

“A multi-disciplinary probe is also required to inquire into the crucial findings of high concentration of monazite found in the processed stocks and whether such a prescribed substance was exported by the mining companies ought to be investigated, since it is a matter concerning national security,” the court said.

The illegal inclusion of monazite by the state govt without the prior sanction of the Union govt as statutorily required needs to be investigated to cull out any political-executive-private mining companies’ nexus in this issue, the court added.

“Considering the high economic value of the illegal mining and export and since the scale of financial loss to the state exchequer runs to thousands of crores of rupees, the Union govt is directed to scrutinise all the financial and commercial transactions of the private mining companies dealing with beach sand minerals and refer the matter for investigation to the ED, IT, customs and excise, and commercial taxes department and by any other competent agencies as required,” the judges said.