HC suspends conviction of ex-Karnataka minister Janardhan Reddy in mining case
Reddy and three others were convicted for illegal iron ore mining that caused over Rs 800 crore loss to the government
Hyderabad, Jun 11 (PTI) The Telangana High Court on Wednesday suspended the conviction and sentence awarded to former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal iron ore mining case and granted him bail.
The High Court also allowed the bail applications of three others who were convicted along with Reddy in the case.
A special CBI court here on May 6 convicted Gali Janardhan Reddy and three others, including his brother-in-law and Managing Director of OMC, B V Srinivas Reddy, the then Director of Mines and Geology (Andhra Pradesh government) VD Rajagopal and Janardhan Reddy's assistant Mehafuz Ali Khan in the case and sentenced them to seven years' rigorous imprisonment.
The former minister and others had approached the High Court seeking suspension of the sentence and to grant them bail.
The court, while suspending their sentences, granted them bail on execution of personal bond of Rs 10 lakh each with two sureties each for a like sum.
They were directed not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court.
The CBI had registered the case on December 8, 2009 against the accused.
The central agency, in its charge sheets against Janardhan Reddy and others, accused them of tampering with mining lease boundary markings and carrying out mining illegally in the Bellary Reserve Forest area on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border.
"It was alleged that the accused in criminal conspiracy with each other committed offences of illegal mining of iron ore by criminally trespassing into the government lands and lands of other private persons and thus causing a loss of more than Rs 800 crore to the government," the CBI had earlier said. PTI
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