Hyderabad: The CBI on Monday submitted before the Hyderabad High Court that senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi, the then secretary to the industries department of AP, played a key role and she had conspired with the other accused in the case in granting lease to Dalmia Cements. K. Surender, counsel for the CBI, arguing before Justice B. Siva Sankara Rao, said that the prospecting lease was first given to Jaya Minerals and then transferred to Eshwar Cements through backdoor methods for which the accused officer benefited by Rs 2.14 crore.
The judge was hearing the petition by Ms Srilakshmi seeking to quash the proceedings of the CBI against her contending that they are baseless and without evidence. The CBI charged her in the illegal investments case of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing her of extending undue favour to Dalmia Cements in allotting lease of mining stone in Kadapa district. When the judge asked CBI counsel whether he had any evidence that the official had conspired with the other accused, he replied that without considering the objections raised by her subordinates, Ms Srilakshmi had sent the file directly to the government for approval and this was part of the conspiracy.
The judge adjourned the case to Thursday to receive written arguments on Ms Ms Srilakshmi’s behalf. The Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed the TS municipal administration department to consider the plea of the Kompally gram panchayat in Ranga Reddy district to share the various fees and charges being collected by the HMDA with the gram and nagar panchayats located in the authority limits.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Shameem Akhter was disposing of a PIL by Kompally sarpanch Jammi Nagamani seeking to direct the HMDA to share various fees and charges being collected by it with the gram and nagar panchayats located in its limits. Sarasani Satyam Reddy, senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the HMDA was collecting crores towards layout/building approvals in villages falling in its limits, while the local bodies are the executive agencies to provide all basic amenities in these layouts or buildings and are being forced to do so with their own funds.
Stating that the gram panchayats would only develop if the HMDA shared some revenue, the bench directed the Kompally gram panchayat officials to approach the municipal department within two weeks and the principal secretary to take a decision within two months from the date of receiving the representation.
