SMK moves HC to quash case against him

BANGALORE: A day after the Lokayukta sleuths filed an FIR against External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and 13 others in connection with illegal mining case, the minister on Friday moved the High Court seeking to quash the case that was filed in the Lokayukta Special Court.The Central minister’s counsel filed a petition before the High Court challenging the case filed in the Lokayukta Special court, the police investigation into the case and filing of the FIR. In the petition, the former CM has maintained that he had never permitted illegal mining in the state during his tenure between 1999 and 2004.He also submitted that he had not de-reserved any forest land for mining and did not indulge in irregularity to mining activity in the state.It may be recalled that social activist Abraham T J had filed a case in the Lokayukta Special Court on November 30, alleging that three former chief ministers of the state, S M Krishna, N Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy, of being complicit in illegal mining. The court had ordered a probe into the case on December 3, following which a FIR was filed on Thursday.