PANAJI: Former Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat has bluntly brushed aside reports of the man arrested by the SIT on Tuesday as being his 'aide' and 'proxy'. Imran Khan was nabbed on charges of issuing forged environmental clearances, as reported in a section of the press.
The former Chief Minister said that he had nothing whatsoever to do with Imran Khan and that, from the news report itself it appears the charge against Imran Khan was that he had forged the environmental clearance, which is granted by the Ministry of Environment & Forests and as such, it was a matter between Imran Khan and the MoEF and therefore it is abundantly clear his name was being dragged for no plausible reason whatsoever.
Digambar stated that the term 'aide' means an assistant of the political leader and the term 'proxy' means representative or an authorized person. As he has no connection with Imran Khan whatsoever, describing Imran Khan as his 'aide' or 'proxy' was a very serious charge affecting and injuring his reputation and right to guard the same.
He further stated that, it was unbecoming of the SIT to leak information to the press selectively, in respect of the investigation which is underway and more particularly when in respect of the very same investigation, he has moved the special judge seeking anticipatory bail, wherein he is protected by way of interim bail.
He stated that such leakage of information by the SIT apart from creating adverse public opinion against him, is clearly aimed at prejudicing him and his interests, more particularly when his application for anticipatory bail 72/2017 is fixed for September 18 before the special judge, at Panaji for further arguments.
Digambar said that without any basis and in a totally irresponsible and irrational manner, the SIT had chosen to describe Imran Khan as his 'aide'/'proxy'. He stated that SIT is following the modus operandi of the Crime Branch, which used to selectively leak adverse information about him, whenever his anticipatory bail application was slated for arguments or for pronouncement of order.
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Describing Imran Khan as my 'aide' or 'proxy' is a very serious charge affecting and injuring his reputation and right to guard the same
- Digambar Kamat
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Imran Khan remanded to
2 days police custody
PANAJI: Imran Khan, an accused arrested by the special investigation team, investigating the illegal mining cases in Goa, has been remanded to two days police custody even as his bail arguments will be heard tomorrow.
The police have built a case that Imran Khan allegedly availed of Environmental Clearance in his name which the Goa State Pollution Control Board found to be fabricated and bogus thus suspended mining in TC no 65/51 belonging to Amalia Figueiredo.
"He also availed ‘power of attorney' to act in the said TC 65/51 from the legal heirs of the Amalia Figueiredo before the state government took a decision to transfer the lease from her name to the names of her legal heirs," Superintendent of Police Karthik Kashyap has said.
Imran Khan is believed to have run the mine between 2007 and 2012 while the State government had only in the year 2009 approval the lease transfer in the name of legal heirs who had given power of attorney to Imran Khan.
Kashyap also alleged that "Imran khan allegedly acted as an proxy to the then mines minister Digamber Kamat and the investigation with this respect is also being investigated."
He said that the legal heirs of Amalia Figueiredo were in their sunset years and that Khan took advantage of this to extract iron ore amounting to crores of Rupees.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday evening.
