Hyderabad: A CBI special court in Hyderabad on Tuesday convicted five persons in the high-profile Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case, pertaining to irregularities in iron ore mining in Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The convicted persons include Gali Janardhan Reddy, former Karnataka minister and OMC director, his brother-in-law and OMC managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy, former mines and geology director V.D. Rajagopal, the Obulapuram Mining Company, and Gali’s personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan. The court sentenced Gali Janardhan Reddy and B.V. Srinivas Reddy to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for their roles in the illegal mining activities, which caused significant financial loss to the exchequer.The court acquitted former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and retired IAS officer B. Kripanandam, finding no sufficient evidence to prove their involvement in the case. The Telangana High Court discharged IAS officer Sri Laxmi from the case in 2022.The trial, which spanned over 13 years, involved the examination of 3,400 documents and 219 witnesses, with the CBI alleging that OMC, under Reddy’s leadership, illegally mined iron ore beyond lease areas, including in Karnataka’s forest lands, resulting in a loss of Rs 884.13 crore to the state.The case dates back to 2009 and the accused in the case were charged under IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 468 & 471 (forgery) and Prevention of Corruption Act Sections 13(2) & 13(1)(d).
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