SIT arrests Janardhan Reddy in mining case

The police, who registered the FIR, immediately swung into action and went to the CBI office, where Mr. Reddy had gone to appear before the CBI officials, who are also probing the illegal mining. Soon after Mr. Reddy came out of the CBI office, the SIT sleuths took him to their office near the CBI office. As Mr. Reddy reportedly failed to give convincing answers to the investigators in connection with the mining done by the Black Board company, he was immediately arrested, the SIT officials said.

Later in the evening, Mr. Reddy was produced before the Lokayukta Special Court, where the SIT officials sought his police custody till November 26. However, the judge remanded him to police custody only till Monday. Speaking to reporters, senior advocate and Mr. Reddy’s counsel C.H. Hanumantharaya, termed the arrest of Mr Reddy as pre-planned. “The Supreme Court has already granted Mr. Reddy bail in all the cases. But, the SIT officials have ignored this fact and have arrested him intentionally.”

Mr Reddy is facing 13 cases related to illegal mining and has been granted bail by the Supreme Court in all these cases. Mr Reddy’s arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of Madhukumar Verma, one of his close aides. It may be recalled that Mr Reddy was arrested by the Hyderabad CBI sleuths from his residence in Ballari on September 5, 2011. After languishing in jail for more than three years, he was released in January this year.