Kumaraswamy challenges Siddaramaiah to approach Supreme Court in Janthakal mining case against him

Bengaluru: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday challenged the state government to approach the Supreme Court against him instead of seeking Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s permission to prosecute him.

“What is the need to prosecute me? For how long have you been doing this drama?” Kumaraswamy asked, reacting to Siddaramaiah’s accusation.

The chief minister in a press conference on Saturday said that on November 23, 2023, the Lokayukta sent a report to the governor seeking permission to prosecute Kumaraswamy, who presently holds the steel and heavy industries portfolio at the Centre, but no permission was granted in a 2007 mining case.

The union minister said the Supreme Court has said that in the Janthakal mining case that “no other court shall pass any other order with regard to these matters till the matters are finally decided by the honourable Supreme Court”.

“Who is stopping you from approaching the Supreme Court? Why this drama of sending the file to the governor seeking permission for my prosecution — to scare me and to silence me? Is this what you have done?” Kumaraswamy asked.

He said the present government had sent the report to the governor to prosecute him when it was clear that one has to approach the Supreme Court.