Chennai, Feb 17 (Reporter) The Madras High Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe into the massive illegal mining of beach sand minerals (BSM) in the southern coastal districts. Passing orders on a batch of writ petitions, a Division Bench comprising Justices SM Subramanian and M Jothiraman ordered transfer of probe to the Central Investigating agency as large scale corruption, collusion and connivance among politicians, government officials and private mining firms, has come to light. Observing that the rare natural resources in illegal mining went unchecked causing thousands of crores of rupees to the State exchequer, the Bench directed the CBI Director to form requisite number of Special Investigation Teams (SIT) with enough expertise and integrity to go into the bottom of the issue and register criminal cases against the accused involved in it. While directing the Tamil Nadu police to hand over all the documents to the CBI pertaining to the case in four weeks, the Court said the CBI should probe the illegalities committed by private firms engaged in mining as well as their transactions and share the report with the Income Tax, Customs and Enforcement Directorate officials for further necessary action. Observing that it was a fit case to be handed over to the CBI, the Bench said “It has been undeniably established... right from grant of mining lease approval, licence to grant of transport permits, illegal inclusion of monazite in mining lease, to lack of efficient monitoring, to arbitrary and legally questionable royalty settlement proceedings, to lack of initiation of appropriate action when required and complete shedding of accountability on the part of the officials, top to bottom across departments and executive spectrum, there appears on the face a scheme of collusion, corruption and connivance among political executive and private mining lease holders.” The court also directed that the royalty amount, the cost, penalty to the tune of Rs 5,832 crore from the private firms engaged in illegal mining of precious minerals like ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite among others. “The involvement of government officials and the alleged irregularities perpetrated by them, including political nexus, should be thoroughly investigated to protect public trust in the system”, the Bench said. The ambit of the CBI probe will include, the process of granting mining leases, transport permits and the inclusion of monazite – an atomic mineral – in the approved minerals list...////...