Ex-Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy gets 7-year jail term in Obulapuram mining case
Hyderabad: The Nampally CBI court has delivered its final verdict in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case after 15 years of legal proceedings. Gali Janardhan Reddy, a former Karnataka Minister, was among the five individuals found guilty. Along with him, B.V. Srinivas Reddy, K. Mehfuz Ali Khan, and V.D. Rajagopal, the former Director of Mines in Andhra Pradesh, were also convicted.
All four have been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined ₹10,000 each. The Obulapuram Mining Company itself was fined ₹2 lakh, with the court stating that failure to pay the fine would lead to an additional year in prison.
V.D. Rajagopal received an additional four-year sentence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, bringing his total prison term to 11 years due to his involvement in corruption during his tenure. The court also acquitted two other key figures in the case, Sabitha Indra Reddy, who was the Mines Minister at the time, and Kripanandam, the former Secretary of the Industries Department.
The case dates back to 2007 when the Andhra Pradesh government granted mining leases to OMC. Allegations later emerged that the term “captive” was deliberately removed from the lease agreement, suggesting potential misconduct. The CBI registered a case in 2009 based on these allegations, and the investigation encountered delays due to legal challenges, including a stay by the Telangana High Court, which was eventually lifted.
The investigation, which took five years from 2009 to 2014, resulted in the filing of four charge sheets. During the trial, 219 witnesses were examined, and over 3,300 documents were reviewed. The CBI’s findings revealed that mining operations exceeded the 68 hectares originally allocated by the government. It was also discovered that around 60 metric tons of iron ore were illegally exported, often through proxy transactions.
