Former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, once a dominant figure in the state’s political and mining sectors, has been transferred to the Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara following his conviction in the high-profile Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case, reported The Times of India.
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According to the report, Reddy was brought to Bengaluru from Chanchalguda Central Prison in Telangana, where he had been lodged along with three other convicts since May 6, after a special CBI court in Hyderabad sentenced him to seven years in prison. The transfer was ordered so that he could be produced before the special court in connection with another related illegal mining case.
This secondary case pertains to the illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port in Karwar in 2010, which is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The agency has named around 10 individuals, including Reddy, as accused. With hearings scheduled for June 2 and later, the court directed officials to ensure Reddy is available for future proceedings by keeping him in judicial custody in Bengaluru.
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{{/usCountry}}The Hyderabad court that convicted Reddy also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on him and his three co-accused. The Obulapuram Mining Company, central to the scam, was slapped with a penalty of ₹1 lakh.
Reddy, listed as Accused No. 2, was immediately taken into custody following the verdict. The case, which has dragged on for nearly 14 years, revealed large-scale manipulation of mining lease boundaries and unauthorized mining operations in the Bellary Reserve Forest, straddling the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border. Investigators estimate the scam led to a loss of around ₹884 crore to the public exchequer.