Hyderabad: In a significant development the CBI named former home minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy in the Obulapuram mining scam involving Gali Janardhan Reddy. She was made a witness in previous charge-sheets and has now been made an accused.
Sources in the CBI said that the investigation agency will file the chargesheet on Wednesday against Ms Sabita Reddy and retired IAS official and former mines secretary B. Kripanandam, for criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, criminal misconduct, for causing wrongful gain and under Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI alleged that Ms Sabita was the final authority to approve the mining leases to OMC owned by Gali Janardhan Reddy, and was part of the irregularities while awarding the leases. Ms Sabita was chargesheeted in the illegal investments case of YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy twice for conspiracies involving the mining leases.
Former industries secretary Y. Srilakhsmi who was chargesheeted earlier in the OMC case gave a statement that she had signed on the instructions of Ms Sabita Reddy.
The CBI has issued an FIR against OMC in 2009 and filed the first chargesheet in 2011 against mining baron Mr Gali Janardhan Reddy, his brother-in-law and OMC’s managing director Mr B.V. Srinivas Reddy, Mines and Geology director Mr V. D. Rajagopal and OMC.
