The former Karnataka minister Janardhana Reddy and managing director of Obulapuram Mining Company Srinivasa Reddy has been sent to jail. The court forwarded the two to 14-day judicial custody. The court is to hear on September 7, CBI's plea for custody of the two. Earlier, the CBI team comprising of 11 member arrested Janardhana Reddy in Bellary, 300 km from Bangalore, on charges of illegal mining in operations in the Reddy's Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) in Andhra Pradesh.
The team led by CBI DIG Lakshminarayana, Andhra Pradesh after conducting a raid at Reddy's residence they arrested Srinivasa Reddy, Managing Director of OMC. Another CBI team alos conducted simultaneous raids on Parijatha, Reddy's residence in Bangalore.
During the raids, the team found Rs. 3 crore in cash and 30 kgs of gold. At Srinivasa's residence they found Rs. 1.45 cash and gold ornaments.
CBI has also attached two helicopters owned by Janardhana and also seized several documents relating to iron ore export and bank transactions outside the country.
Several IAS, IFS officers will also be questioned in connection with the illegal mining at Obulpuram and some of them are expected to be arrested today. The CBI is preparing a special report which is to be submitted to the special court wherein it included 174 persons in it.
The Andhra Pradesh government laid down in November 2009 that a CBI inquiry was required to investigate on the allegations of illegal mining in the Obulpuram area.
Besides, they are accused of mining far beyond their leased area, Reddy's has been accused of mining deep into the Bellary-Andhra Pradesh reserve forest area. They are also accused of damaging the state border demarcation area blasting the Sugulamma Devi temple on the border. Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde's report throws light on OMC doing illegal mining.
The 45 year-old Janardhana Reddy was tourism and infrastucture minister in the B S Yeddyurappa government. They turned millionares from ordinary man within a short span of time after iron ore boom in 2000. He had also proposed the state government to set up Rs. 36,000 crore steel industry in Bellary, which was later withdrawn by him.
Both the Reddy brothers has been charged with varioys IPC sections namely Ss.120 (b), 420, 411, 379, 427, 447, Anti Corruption Act Sections 13 (2), 13 (1) A, Mines and Mineral Regulation Act Sections 4 (1) and 4 (1) (A 23) and Forest Act Section 26. Almost all sections under the Forest Act and Anti-corruption Actsare non-bailable.
News Reported by AR for Newsvision
No comments:
Post a Comment