Former Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy Remanded in Illegal Mining Case
Kakani Govardhan Reddy was taken to Venkatachalam Primary Health Centre for a medical examination
Nellore: The former minister and YSRC Nellore district president Kakani Govardhan Reddy has been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody by the magistrate court in Venkatagiri on Monday. This was in relation to an illegal mining case that has caused ripples in state politics.
Kakani, it is learnt, was arrested from a farm house near Chintamani in Karnataka on Sunday by a Nellore police team. This ended weeks of surveillance across multiple cities, including Hyderabad and Chennai. He was brought to Nellore overnight by road, and underwent a medical examination at the Venkatachalam PHC, before being taken to the district police training centre for interrogation.
The police originally planned to produce him before the Gudur court, but the summer court vacation prompted a change to Venkatagiri. Tight security was enforced across the region, with Section 144 imposed on Venkatagiri on Monday as a precautionary measure.
The court proceedings lasted nearly two hours, after which Kakani was remanded to the Nellore central jail. His legal team filed a petition seeking special category prisoner status. The court would announce its decision later.
Kakani’s arrest triggered a surge of activity. YSR Congress leaders and supporters gathered in large numbers near the court and jail. Leaders such as Anil Kumar Yadav, Nedurumalli Ram Reddy, P Chandrasekhar Reddy and Tirupati MP Gurumoorthy were present at the court premises.
YSRC leader Pernati Shyam Prasad alleged that the arrest was politically motivated and an act of vendetta. He pointed out that other accused in the same case (A1 to A5) have been granted bail while bail was denied to Kakani, named A4, and he was put behind bars.
He also alleged that additional, serious charges like violations under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and possession of gelatin sticks were motivatedly added in Kakani’s case to block bail.
Maddila Gurumurthy echoed the sentiment, calling the arrest “illegal and politically motivated” and accused the state’s current leadership of using the legal system to suppress opposition voices.
