Mining scam: SC permits Ex-Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy to visit ailing father-in-law
New Delhi, Jun 7: Former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, an accused in a multi-crore rupee illegal mining case, was Friday allowed by the Supreme Court to visit his hometown Ballari to see his ailing father-in-law.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi however expressed concern over the delay in framing of charges and starting of the trial in the Rs 35,000 crore mining scam.
"We are concerned as to why charges have not been framed and trial yet not started," the bench said while pulling up the CBI, the prosecuting agency in the case.
The bench, which permitted Reddy to attend to his father-in-law for two weeks from June 8, refused however to consider his request seeking dilution of the previous condition barring him to visit Ballari, Karnataka, without the court's prior nod.
Senior advocate S Ganesh, appearing for Reddy, said on several occasions he has been permitted to visit Ballari and there was not a single complaint that he violated bail conditions.
"This time, his father-in-law had suffered a stroke. He had undergone three bypass surgeries. His medical condition is extremely precarious and he was lying in ICU of a hospital over there," the lawyer said.
During the brief hearing, the lawyer also said that despite the apex court direction of July 2016 to speed up the trial, it has not even started as the charges are yet to be framed.
Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, who appeared for the probe agency, opposed the plea for relaxation of restrictions imposed on Reddy on his visit to Ballari and said that he was the main accused in the case.
"Why charges were not framed for six years. We are concerned about the delay," the bench asked.
The charges could not be framed because few other co-accused have filed pleas seeking discharge from the case and they are still pending, the law officer said, adding that CBI would like to file a detailed reply in the case.
The court said however that it would only deal with Reddy's plea seeking its nod to visit Ballari.
The apex court in March had dismissed Reddy's plea to modify his bail condition over Ballari visit.
He was granted conditional bail by the apex court in January 2015 after spending more than three years in jail, and directed not to visit his hometown Ballari as well as Anantapur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, managing director of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), were arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011 from Ballari and brought to Hyderabad.
The company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Ballari Reserve Forest area, spread over Ballari and Anantapur district.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
