Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday raided the residence of former Union Minister for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan. The agency also registered a case against Natarajan and others, including Umang Kejriwal, the then managing director of Electrosteel Castings ltd and the company, under various Sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with irregularities in the diversion of forest land for mining of iron and manganese ores in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.
As per the CBI report, there has been violation of the Forest Conservation Act of 2012 in awarding about 56 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use during the tenure of Natarajan as Minister for Environment and Forests. It further states that the approval had been accorded without adhering to the advice of Director General Forests and SC directions in this regard.