OMC mining case: Janardhan Reddy appears before CBI court

HYDERABAD: Former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, an accused in the case of alleged illegal mining in Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and other accused today appeared before a special CBI court here.

This was the first appearance of Gali Janardhan Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivasa Reddy, the Managing Director of OMC, before the trial court after they got bail from Supreme Court and Hyderabad High Court respectively in the case.

The special court posted the matter to February 19. After the court appearance, the Reddys then left for Bengaluru.

OMC is accused of tampering with mining lease boundary markings and carrying out mining illegally in Bellary reserve forest area on Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh border.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and other accused in the quid-pro-quo investment cases involving his firms also appeared before the special CBI court today.

Former Andhra Pradesh ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy, Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, Dharmana Prasada Rao, some IAS officers and industrialists who have been named as accused in different chargesheets filed in the cases also appeared before the court, which posted the matter to March 6.

According to CBI, several industrialists invested in the companies owned by Jagan as a quid-pro-quo for government favours when his father Y S Rajsekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister.