Ex-director Andhra mines dept jailed in illegal mining

Hyderabad, Nov 21: A special CBI court on Monday (today) extended the judicial custody of former director of Andhra Mines department, VD Rajagopal till Nov 25.

Meanwhile, Rajagopal was sent to Chanchalguda Central Jail, where Janardhana Reddy and his brother-in-law B.V. Srinivasa Reddy are already lodged. Earlier, on Nov 12, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested former director for granting mining licenses in 2008.

The CBI moved a petition seeking Rajagopal's custody for another week and the same will come up for hearing on Nov 25. CBI officials said that they require further custody of the accused to gather more information about the role of other public servants. Rajagaopal also allegedly favoured Janardhana Reddy's Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) by granting leases for iron ore mining in Anantapur district bordering Karnataka.

Earlier, on Nov 17, a special CBI court had rejected the bail pleas of former Karnataka Minister Janardhana Reddy and his brother-in-law, who were arrested in on Sept 5 from Bellary in Karnataka, over their role in the illegal mining in Andhra Pradesh's Ananatpur district. Moreover, CBI filed its reply opposing the bail pleas of of Janardhana Reddy and OMC Managing Director BV Srinivas Reddy.

The CBI had registered the case against Reddys' Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) on December 7, 2009 at the request of Andhra Pradesh government in the wake of allegations of illegal mining and irregularities in allotment of mining leases to OMC in Obulapuram and Malpanagudi villages of Anantapur district of the state.

Janardhan Reddy and OMC Managing Director Srinivas Reddy were arrested by a CBI team on September 5 at Bellary in Karnataka after the agency conducted searches at their premises in connection with alleged illegal mining.

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