BENGALURU: Contrary to reports that the illegal mining cases against former BJP Minister and mining baron, Janardhan Reddy and his associates have been dropped, sources close to the investigation revealed that they were still pending and awaiting trial.
There have been claims of late that the cases being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate against Mr Reddy have been dropped by the Modi government to help him return to active politics. Mr Reddy too has claimed that he has been acquitted in over 40 cases.
But going by reliable sources all the cases are at the stage of “hearing before charges” and are awaiting trial. Only in a couple of cases were the accused discharged on the basis of their application.
In all, six major cases have been filed by the CBI. In one , relating to the Obulapuram Mining Company's Anthara Gangamma Konda Mines, the chargesheet has been filed , but the trial has not begun as yet . The five other cases relate to the Associated Mining Company and illegal iron ore export from the Belekeri port in Karwar. The CBI has named Mr Reddy as accused No.1 in all these cases .
As far as the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate is concerned, Mr Reddy did get some relief from the Karnataka High Court, when it quashed it, but the ED has reportedly filed a revision plea, challenging HC order.
The mining baron turned politician has also been named as accused in a dozen cases filed by the Special Investigation Team( SIT) of the state government, probing export of illegal iron ore of less than 50,000 tonnes.
Asserting that none of the cases had been dropped against Mr Reddy, sources, however, said that unless the government constituted full- fledged special courts to deal exclusively with mining cases and conduct day -to- day hearings, justice would be delayed.
Cong govt tapping phones of oppn leaders, BJP?
Is the Congress government , which has been going hammer and tongs over the Modi government allegedly tapping the phones of its Ministers, guilty of the same? Going by state intelligence sources, it is intercepting the phones of not only leaders of the opposition, but also of several journalists , targeting them specifically on the basis of their caste or region.
Said a top police officer of the state intelligence wing, “There is nothing new in government intercepting the conversations of journalists. The ruling party, while chasing the secrets of opposition parties, does tap the telephones of reporters. But this time what is new is that if the journalists are from coastal Karnataka, it is believed they could be BJP sympathisers and tapping their phones could give vital information of some of the saffron party’s secrets. Similarly, the officials assume that tapping the phones of Vokkaliga reporters could give them information on JD (S) leaders. The reporters’ caste therefore play a big role in the tapping operation.”
Recently Home Minister, R. Ramalinga Reddy and Water Resources Minister, M.B. Patil have cried foul over Congress Ministers’ phones being allegedly tapped by the Centre. Mr Reddy told the media a few days ago that the Ministers phones were being tapped from Jaipur. But could this be the pot calling the kettle black?
