In Gangavathi Reddy’s supporters celebrated through processions featuring decorated bulls, bursting of firecrackers, distribution of sweets, and smearing of colours. Many supporters held up Reddy’s photographs and shouted slogans in his favour
Ballari: Supporters of mining baron and Gangavathi MLA G. Janardhan Reddy held celebrations in Ballari and Gangavathi on Wednesday after the Telangana High Court granted him bail and stayed his conviction in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case. The court's interim relief came as a major reprieve for Reddy, who was facing disqualification from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly following his conviction in May.
Supporters gathered at Gadigi Chennappa Circle (Rayan Circle) in Ballari to mark the court’s decision. In Gangavathi, Reddy’s home constituency, supporters assembled in large numbers at Gandhi Chowk and turned the occasion into a festive celebration.
In Gangavathi Reddy’s supporters celebrated through processions featuring decorated bulls, bursting of firecrackers, distribution of sweets, and smearing of colours. Many supporters held up Reddy’s photographs and shouted slogans in his favour.
Reddy had won the 2023 Assembly election from Gangavathi as the lone candidate of the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), a party he floated in December 2022 after breaking away from the BJP. However, in March 2024, he merged KRPP back into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formally returning to the party after more than a decade.
On May 6, 2025, a special CBI court in Hyderabad convicted Reddy and three others in the illegal mining case related to the OMC, sentencing them to seven years’ imprisonment for offences committed between 2007 and 2009.
Following the verdict, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretariat issued a notification disqualifying Reddy as MLA with effect from May 6, the date of conviction. The disqualification was enforced under Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution, read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The order also stated that Reddy would remain disqualified for six more years from the date of release, unless the conviction was stayed by a competent court — which the Telangana High Court has now done.
Sources close to the family said Reddy’s wife, Lakshmi Aruna, had been performing special prayers at temples across Karnataka and beyond, seeking divine intervention. With the court’s relief, many see it as the fruit of her devotion.
