Mining scam: Supreme Court dismisses Reddy’s bail plea

Bellary: Former minister and mine baron Gali Janardhan Reddy who has been jailed at Bengaluru central prison in connection with illegal mining charges for the past 33 months, will have to continue to stay behind bars with the Supreme Court dismissing his application seeking bail in the cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

A division bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice H.L. Dattu directed Reddy’s counsel to apply for bail only after three months. The bench stated that bail cannot be granted to Reddy at this stage as the investigation by the CBI into mining illegalities is underway.

The bench also directed the CBI to hurry with the framing of charges in next six months.

Earlier in December, the apex court had sought a response from the country’s premier investigating agency to the SLP filed by Janardhan Reddy seeking bail after his several bail applications were rejected by the CBI special courts and High Courts leaving him to languish in prison for nearly three years. He was arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011 in the Obulapuram mining case.

In response to the bail plea in the apex court, the CBI submitted that Reddy is the prime accused in the ongoing investigation into Belekeri port iron ore export scam wherein CBI registered 22 FIRS afresh apart from the earlier five cases in pursuance of the  SC order.

Further, Mr Reddy is also prime accused in cases related to M/s Associated Mining Company (AMC) in Karnataka and M/s Obulapuram Mining Company in Andhra Pradesh.