CBI special court extends custody of Reddy by four days

Bangalore, Mar 12: A CBI court here today rejected the bail application of former Karnataka minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy and extended his custody till Mar 16.

The Additional Civil and Sessions Court Judge and CBI special court judge in the case B M Angadi extended custody when Reddy was produced in court amid heavy police security. On Mar 2, the court had remanded Reddy in CBI custody till today.

The court, shifted to Parappana Agrahara jail premises on the city outskirts solely for producing Reddy there after the Mar 2 violence in precincts of the city civil court, originally housing the CBI court, extended to Mar 16, custody of Reddy's Personal Assistant Ali Khan, also remanded in CBI custody. Khan was produced before the CBI special court in the city civil complex earlier in the day before it shifted to Parappana Agrahara to hear Reddy's case.

Khan filed three applications before the court -- one for bail, the other for discharge from the case and the last for treating him as witness. He also complained to the court that CBI was 'exerting pressure' on him to become an approver. Reddy and 20 others face charges of alleged involvement in illegal mining, over which CBI filed an FIR in Oct 2011. Associated Mining Corporation and Deccan Mining Syndicate owned by Reddy and his wife Aruna Lakshmi are facing a probe over alleged illegal mining under a Supreme Court directive.

Former minister and Congress leader V Muniyappa and a few other officials are the others accused in the case. On Mar 2, the city civil court complex witnessed violence after an altercation between some advocates and mediapersons over filming of events after Reddy was produced in court. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court today ordered issue of notice to CBI on a criminal petition by Reddy, seeking quashing of the agency's probe. Justice N Ananda ordered issue of notice to CBI when the criminal petition came up before him for hearing.

PTI