ED grills Odisha's richest MLA in mining scam, he denies it
Bhubaneswar, June 28: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday quizzed Odisha's richest MLA Sanatan Mahakud for his alleged involvement in a mining scam, informed sources said.
The Independent MLA, who is associated with transport company Maa Kuanri, however, denied grilling by the ED officials.
The MLA from Champua in mineral-rich Keonjhar district was grilled for hours over his business transactions with mine owners named in the Shah Commission report on the mining scam, the sources added.
"The ED had sought information from me in connection with my business. I have provided them with every bit of information. I am no offender. I am not involved in any scam," Mahakud told reporters here.
The ED had raided mining companies Sirajuddin and Company, Indrani Patnaik and Company and Triveni Earthmovers and the transport company on July 9, 2015, following its FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of the commission report.
The Shah Commission had probed the multi-crore illegal mining scam in Odisha.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
