Panaji, Mar 29 (IANS): The Congress in Goa Friday declined to comment on a Bombay High Court order directing the state government to file complaints against 151 people indicted in the Justice M.B. Shah Commission report, including two of the party's former chief ministers. <br />"We have no comment to offer," Congress spokesperson Sudip Tamhankar said when asked about the court order that was issued Tuesday. <br />Tamhankar, however, said that Justice Shah would be the first person who would depose before the police investigating team once a First Information Report (FIR) is filed. <br />"Once the FIR is filed, Justice Shah would have to be the first to come to Goa and depose before the police here." <br />The order for FIR was issued by Bombay High Court Chief Justice Mohit Shah after Kashinath Shetye, junior engineer in the state electricity department, filed a petition. Shetye had requested a criminal investigation in the Rs.35,000-crore illegal mining scam exposed by Justice Shah, who led a commission of inquiry into Goa's mining sector. <br />The chief justice in his order asked the Goa government to file an FIR within six weeks. The Crime Branch had initially refused to register Shetye's complaint. <br />The Shah Commission report covers illegal mining during the rule of two Congress chief ministers -- Pratapsing Rane and Digambar Kamat. <br />The Supreme Court has banned mining in Goa since October last year. It is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan along with green NGOs from Goa. <br /><br />Read full article here: <br />http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=168838
