The Supreme Court on Friday asked its expert panel, the Central Empowered Committee, to look into allegations of illegalities -- including bribing Government officials -- levelled against Adani Enterprises Ltd and O P Jindal Group’s JSW Steel Ltd in the iron ore business.

JSW and Adani Enterprises had denied these allegations.

Acting on a Public Interest Litigation filed by the NGO Samaj Parivartan Samudaya and others, the apex court also asked the CEC to file a report by the next date of hearing slated for January 20.

In the submission made on behalf of the petitioners, advocate Mr Prashant Bhushan said, “There is a need to extend the CBI investigation to Adani Enterprises and Jindal Steel (JSW) that have been strongly indicted in the report of the Lokayukta.”

“The illegalities of these two companies (Adani and JSW) are not only linked with the persons and matters that are the subject matter of current CBI investigations (against Associated Mining Co or AMC and Deccan Mining Syndicate), but also involve top public servants and public representatives,” Mr Bhushan added.

The allegations against Adani Enterprises include theft of iron ore and bribing Government officials to get undue favour for illegal exports, Mr Bhushan said citing the Lokayukta report.

He added that “JSW and its front company South West Mining Company” is facing allegations of illegalities including receiving illegally obtained ore supplied by AMC, causing loss to the State exchequer by overloading of illegal ore and making illegal payments to the close relatives of the then Chief Minister Mr B S Yeddyurappa.

Meanwhile, the apex court also asked the CBI to complete its investigation by January 20 into the alleged illegal mining in Karnataka. It also asked the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education to conduct a macro-level study on the mining areas in Karnataka.

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