Vijayawada: The Supreme Court of India stayed the trial of senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi in the high-profile Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case, granting her interim relief on Friday.

The bench, comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N K Singh, passed the order after considering Srilakshmi’s challenge to a recent Telangana High Court decision that had revived the case against her.

Senior advocates representing Srilakshmi argued that continuing the trial amounted to an abuse of the legal process, a position the Supreme Court appeared to agree with, calling the high court’s order “very strange.” The court has now sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the matter.

Srilakshmi, who was the secretary of industries and commerce in Andhra Pradesh from 2006 to 2009, was named in a CBI supplementary chargesheet in connection with the OMC scam. She maintains that the allegations against her are based solely on suspicion, lacking the necessary evidence to frame charges.

While the trial court earlier dismissed her discharge petition, the Telangana High Court subsequently allowed her revision and discharged her in November 2022. This decision was challenged by the CBI in the Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the high court for a fresh decision. On reconsideration, the high court in July 2025 dismissed Srilakshmi’s revision petition, leading to the revival of the trial.

According to the CBI, Srilakshmi allegedly abused her official position by favoring Obulapuram Mining Company, omitting a key “captive mining” condition from a mining lease, and issuing notifications in the company’s favour, leading to significant losses to the public exchequer.

She faces charges of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Obulapuram promoter Gali Janardhan Reddy, already convicted, is appealing his conviction.

Srilakshmi, who returned to Andhra Pradesh during the previous YSRCP government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been divested of all her responsibilities after return of TDP-led government in June 2024.