The Supreme Court has issued notices to former Palamu DC Pooja Singhal (at present Agriculture Secretary) alongwith 14 others in a writ petition filed by trade union activist Rajeev Kumar Singh, seeking action against them for alleged bungling in the allotment of land for Kathautia coalmines, then owned by Usha Martin.
According to Singh, the court, while staying the order of the Jharkhand High Court in the PIl, imposing a fine of `50,000 on him, has ‘condoned’ the delay in moving to Apex court.
The court also agreed to add M/s Hindalco, which owns the mines now, as one of the respondents, besides Usha Martin.
Others against whom the notices are to be served included then land Acquisition Officer Uday Kant Pathak, then district sub registrar, Balbhadra Sinku and Circle Officer of Pandwa Alok Kumar.
A team of three lawyers comprising Colin Gonsalves, Fahat M Khan and Satya Mitra pleaded for Singh in the Supreme Court.
Sources said the then divisional commissioner Palamu N K Mishra had conducted a probe into various allegations with regard to Kathoutia coal mines wherein he had indicted the then DC and other officials in the matter of land acquisition.