Illegal mining case: Former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy gets 7 years jail
The Principal Special Judge for CBI cases Judge T Raghu Ram acquitted ex-minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and former bureaucrat B Krupanandam in the case
A special CBI court in Hyderabad on Tuesday (May 6) convicted former Karnataka minister and MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy and three others in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case.
The court sentenced them to seven years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each. Reddy was named accused number two. The court also fined the company Rs 1 lakh.
The court convicted Janardhana Reddy's brother-in-law and Managing Director of OMC, Srinivas Reddy (A1) and VD Rajagopal (A3), the then Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, Mehafuz Ali Khan (A7), Reddy's personal assistant.
The prosecution accused that the illegal mining between 2007 and 2009 caused Rs 884 crore loss to the exchequer.
Soon after the judgment, the CBI took Reddy and others into custody.
Also Read: In Bellary, an intense BJP-Congress battle masks livelihood issues
Conviction after 14 years
The CBI court delivered the judgement nearly 14 years after the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Reddy and others accusing them of tampering with mining lease boundary markings and carrying out mining illegally in Bellary Reserve Forest area on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border.
The Principal Special Judge for CBI cases, Judge T Raghu Ram, acquitted ex-minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and former bureaucrat B Krupanandam in the case.
First charge sheet in 2011
Reddy’s conviction marks a major milestone in the high-profile case that lasted over a decade. During the investigation, the names of many influential politicians and bureaucrats cropped up.
The case came to light in 2009 following the Andhra Pradesh government’s request for a thorough probe, following which the CBI took over the investigation as per the Centre’s directive.
CBI filed its first charge sheet in 2011. A supplementary charge sheet was subsequently filed naming nine accused including IAS officers, former ministers, and close associates of Reddy.
The Supreme Court-monitored trial was scheduled to conclude by end of May. The arguments in the case concluded last month.
(With inputs from agencies)