In a landmark judgment, a special court in Bengaluru has sentenced Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail from Karwar to 42 years in prison for his role in the illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port in Karnataka during 2009-10.The court’s decision also includes six other defendants involved in the scandal, with sentences that extend up to seven years per case.
A substantial fine of ?44.09 crore has been levied on the convicted individuals and their associated companies. Sail, a key figure in the scandal, faces a personal penalty of ?9.26 crore and an additional ?9.26 crore in fines for his company, Shri Mallikarjuna Shipping Private Limited, where he serves as managing director.
The sentences were delivered by Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court for criminal cases involving current and former MPs and MLAs, who, on October 24, pronounced the punishment under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.