The Vigilance department on Thursday filed chargesheets against 25 persons, including prime accused Deepak Gupta, in the Special Vigilance court in Keonjhar in connection with the multi-crore Uliburu mining scam.
According to Vigilance Cell SP Sashibhusan Mishra, the chargesheet has been filed after taking into account of several reports, including those by the Tehsildar and the Mining Department, which substantiated the involvement of several officials and Gupta, the power of attorney holder of Uliburu mines, in connection with nearly Rs 2,000 crore mining scam.
Notably, the Vigilance, in its affidavit filed in the court, had alleged that Gupta had illegally mined around Rs 45.22 lakh tonnes of iron ore from Uliburu reserve forest and gained Rs 893.67 crore as profit during 2003-2010.
Gupta was operating the BK Mohanty iron ore mine at Uliburu under Joda mining circle where large scale irregularities were spotted by the State Mines Department. He was found to have raised ore from the reserve forest area adjacent to the mine by shifting the lease boundary.
The anti-corruption department had arrested mine owner B K Mohanty. Earlier on Wednesday, the Vigilance had also filed chargesheets against 11 several Government officials including three Deputy Directors, Manas Mohanty, Madan Mohan Biswal and Routray Murmu.
The Government, while allowing the Vigilance to file its chargesheet against them on Wednesday, has also allowed filing of chargesheets against six Mining Inspectors, including Subash Chandra Barik, Ramesh Chandra Panda, Ramesh Chandra Mahalik and Suresh Chandra Sahoo. That apart, the Vigilance has been also allowed to file chargesheet against a senior surveyor and a Forest range officer, said official sources.