Mining scam: Reddys to remain in jail as court extends remand
Janardhan
Reddy,
lodged
in
Chanchalguda
Jail
here
along
with
brother-in-law
and
OMC
Managing
Director
B
V
Srinivas
Reddy
since
September
last
after
being
arrested
by
CBI
from
Bellary
in
adjoining
Karnataka,
and
another
accused,
ex-Director
of
AP
Mines
and
Geology
Department
V
D
Rajagopal,
were
produced
before
the
court
which
extended
the
remand.
The
judicial
custody
of
suspended
IAS
officer
Y
Srilakshmi,
another
accused
in
the
OMC
case,
was
also
extended
till
January
25
through
video
conference.
After being produced in the court, Janardhan Reddy requested Judge Nagamaruti Sarma to consider his bail application (earlier posted for hearing to Jan 23) and said he would not run away from the country if released on bail.
Reddys
and
Rajagopal
were
also
given
copies
of
the
charge
sheet
filed
by
the
Central
agency
on
December
3.
Due
to
security
reasons,
Reddys
were
not
produced
in
the
court
for
the
past
few
months
and
their
judicial
remand
was
extended
through
video-conference.
CBI
had
registered
a
case
against
the
mining
firm
in
2009
after
OMC,
owned
by
Janardhan
Reddy,
was
accused
of
indulging
in
illegal
mining
in
the
Bellary
Reserve
Forest,
spread
between
Bellary
and
Anantapur
district
of
Andhra
Pradesh,
by
obtaining
leases
through
irregular
means.
Meanwhile, the court also extended till January 25 the judicial remand of industrialist Koneru Rajendra Prasad, an accused in the scam-ridden APIIC-Emaar township project here.
PTI