Supreme Court Allows Mining Baron Gali Janardhan Reddy To Visit And Stay In The District Of Bellary

While modifying the conditions, the bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari also directed Reddy to intimate SSP of the other two districts of Kadapa and Ananthapur.

Directions have also been issued to the trial court to make endeavours to expedite the trial.

"Condition number (H) as in order dated January 20, 2015 is reiterated," Court said.

Appearing for mining baron, Gali Janardhan Reddy, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted that the Reddy had not violated any condition post-grant of bail by the Top Court.

It was also his condition that the first charge-sheet was filed in 2011, and then two further supplementary charge sheet(s) were also filed; irrespective of that, charges have not been framed and that the trial has not commenced.

Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi also argued that Reddy had never sought any adjournment and that no delay could be attributed on his part. Pointing out to the discrepancies in the number of witnesses, Senior Counsel had also submitted that only 20 witnesses were in Bellary whereas according to the CBI 47 witnesses were in Bellary.

Opposing the modification, Additional Solicitor General Madhvi Divan had submitted that the bail was granted only due to conditions and any material change would change the basis of trial.

"The neighbours here who are witnesses were mining in the adjacent areas & the accused took over their land. The ones who are most important are the neighbours who have been carrying out mining even subsequently. On the last occasion, I was interrupted while I was reading the affidavit. I have 2 things to say: 1. He has been named in the FIR & thereafter a charge sheet was filed, and 2. He was a beneficiary. It shook me when I read the charge sheet," submitted ASG Divan.

Background

Reddy was made a minister in the BS Yeddyurappa Government formed after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Assembly elections in Karnataka in 2008. Three years later, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him on charges of illegal mining. He was again arrested in 2015 and granted bail.

As a part of his bail conditions, Reddy was directed not to visit Bellary as well as Ananthapur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh. He was barred from Bellary as a condition for his release on bail in 2015. Reddy's firm, the Obulapuram Mining Company, is accused of changing the mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest area.

Case Title: Gali Janardhan Reddy v. The State Of Andhra Pradesh

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