Sabitha, official charge-sheeted in OMC scam

Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the illegal mining case against the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by the mining baron and former Minister of Karnataka, Gali Janardhan Reddy. Former Home Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy and former Secretary of Mining B Kripanandam have become new addition to the list of accused in the case. Kripanandam is named as A-8 (Accused No. 8) while Sabitha is mentioned as A-9. They have been charged under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 420 and 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant).

Besides, they are also charged under Sections 9 (taking gratification), 12 (abetment of offences), 13(2) read with 13(1) (c) & (d) (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The supplementary charge-sheet cites 104 documents and 36 witnesses. The CBI also informed the court that this supplementary charge-sheet can be treated as the final report as a part of investigation. The CBI in its first charge-sheet filed made Gali Janardhan Reddy, B V Srinivas Reddy and the OMC Company as accused along with former Secretary of Industries (Mines) Y Srilakshmi, Director of Mines D Rajagopal and two others. The case of the CBI is that these public servants colluded with Janardhan Reddy and allowed him to indulge in large-scale illegal iron ore mining in both AP and Karnataka states. The CBI in January 2013 filed a supplementary charge-sheet against K Mehfuz Ali Khan, the personal assistant of Janardhan Reddy and the seventh accused in the OMC case.