Interim Bail Granted to Mining Baron Gali Janardhan Reddy in Illegal Mining Case

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has granted interim bail to mining magnate and former Karnataka minister, Gali Janardhan Reddy, along with three co-accused in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case. This decision comes as the court suspends their seven-year sentences, which were imposed by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on 6 May, pending appeal.

The accused individuals include B.V. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of OMC; V.D. Rajagopal, former Director of Mines and Geology for Andhra Pradesh; and Mehfuz Ali Khan, personal assistant to Reddy. The court has stipulated conditions for their bail, which include a prohibition on international travel and the requirement of a personal surety of ₹10 lakh each.

The legal backdrop to this case involves a lengthy 13-year investigation, leading to their conviction by a Hyderabad CBI court. Their counsel argued in favour of interim relief, emphasising that the accused have already served more than half of their sentence and that a potential by-election may be forthcoming. Justice K. Lakshman sided with this perspective, leading to the granting of bail.

The political ramifications of this case are significant, as Reddy’s legislative membership was annulled following his conviction, prompting assembly officials to initiate preparations for a by-election in his constituency.

Looking ahead, the court is set to deliberate on the full appeals and any stays on the convictions in August.