The Karnataka Authorities Wednesday suspended a senior Indian Forest Service officer, R Gokul, for allegedly facilitating the handover of forest land value almost Rs 14,000 crore, held by the general public sector firm Hindustan Machine Instruments (HMT) in Bengaluru, to 3rd events, together with personal entities.
The federal government issued the suspension order stating that “in train of the powers below Rule 3(1) (a) of the All India Service (Self-discipline & Enchantment) Guidelines, 1969, Sri R. Gokul, IFS, Further Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Director Basic, EMPRI, Bengaluru, is positioned below suspension with instant impact, pending inquiry.”
The explanation for Gokul’s suspension has been cited as his actions relating to the “denotification of lands granted to HMT measuring 443 Acres 6 guntas located at Peenya Jalahalli Plantation”. In line with the federal government order, an interlocutory utility was filed by forest officers earlier than the Supreme Courtroom in 2020 “with out acquiring the approval of the then minister-in-charge or sanction from the state cupboard” for permission to denotify 443.6 acres of land granted to HMT on the Peenya Jalahalli Plantation.
Initially, the state authorities issued notices to Sandeep Dave, a retired IAS officer and the previous further chief secretary for Forest, Ecology and Setting; Vijay Kumar Gogi, retired IFS officer and the previous principal secretary for Forest, Ecology and Setting; Smitha Bijjur, IFS, ex-principal secretary, Forest, Ecology and Setting and Gokul.
The federal government has reported receiving replies to the notices from three of the 4 officers (aside from Sandeep Dave) however stated that Gokul had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after receiving his discover “in search of safety” in an unlawful mining case from the 2010 interval the place he’s a key witness in opposition to a mafia that was operated by political figures.
The IFS officer additionally didn’t receive permission or inform the federal government when he filed an “Intervention Software (113311/2025) within the Hon’ble Supreme Courtroom of India in opposition to IA (190307/2024 WP (C) 337/1995) filed by the State Authorities within the Hon’ble Supreme Courtroom of India for withdrawal of the IA (60477/2020 in WP (C) 337/1995) associated to the de-notification of lands belonging to HMT Ltd,” stated the suspension order.
The federal government order stated the conduct of Gokul “is in violation of Rule 17 of All India Companies (Conduct) Guidelines, 1968, and the State Authorities is prima facie glad that it’s obligatory” to put him below suspension with instant impact.
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Final week, Karnataka Minister for Forest and Setting Eshwar Khandre introduced that the federal government had really helpful motion in opposition to two serving IFS officers, one retired IFS officer, and one retired IAS officer for submitting of an utility within the Supreme Courtroom “in search of permission for denotification of HMT forest land value over Rs. 14,000 crore”.
“This plantation is owned by HMT. It’s unlawful for the organisation to promote to authorities departments/organisations and personal people. Nevertheless, the truth that forest officers didn’t make any try to recuperate the land and, with out even drawing the eye of the Cupboard, submitted an Interim Software (IA) to the Supreme Courtroom in search of denotification in 2020 is a trigger for doubt,” Khandre has stated.
The controversy pertains to 599 acres of land in a plantation within the Peenya Jalahalli area in North Bengaluru, which was declared a forest in 1896 and was later transferred to HMT within the Sixties to create industrial infrastructure by way of a donation deed by the district collector. In recent times, massive parts of the land given to HMT by the forest division for industrial functions have been used to facilitate main actual property tasks by way of the connivance of state and central authorities officers.
During the last 12 months, a dispute arose over the land between the Union Heavy Industries Ministry headed by H D Kumaraswamy, who’s taking a look at monetising the land to resuscitate the fortunes of HMT, and the state forest division, which is attempting to recuperate the HMT land by arguing that it stays a forest land.
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In November final 12 months, the Karnataka Authorities issued notices to the forest officers involved over the submitting of the IA within the SC on the HMT forest land. In January this 12 months, the state authorities ordered that since 281 acres of the 599 acres of land donated to HMT is vacant land “with none constructing,” the forest division should take possession of the vacant forest land.
Over 200 acres of the HMT land in Bengaluru have been handed over to non-public gamers and others, at the same time as HMT Ltd has collapsed within the final 4 many years. One of many main transfers of land occurred between 1999 and 2004 when the Congress was in energy, resulting in the development of condo complexes by a few of the massive actual property builders of Bengaluru.