SC allows mining baron Janardhan Reddy to visit Bellary in Karnataka

The Supreme Court on Monday permitted former Karnataka minister and accused in illegal mining case Gali Janardhan Reddy to visit and stay till November 6 in Bellary district to meet his daughter.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and Krishna Murari also directed the special court to conduct trial on a day-to-day basis and complete the whole exercise in six months from November 9, 2022.

It also directed Reddy to remain out of Bellary till the trial is completed.

The top court said any attempt on the part of Reddy to delay the trial should be dealt with iron hands.

Reddy, accused in a multi-crore illegal mining case, has been out on bail since 2015 and several conditions were imposed by the apex court in its order, including prohibiting him from visiting Bellary in Karnataka and Ananthpur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.

Reddy had sought permission to visit Bellary to meet his daughter who recently gave birth to a girl.

Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, managing director of the Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), were arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011, from Bellary and brought to Hyderabad.

The company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, spread over Bellary in Karnataka and the Ananthpur district of Andhra Pradesh.

While granting bail, the top court had directed him to surrender his passport before the trial court concerned and not to leave the country without the permission of the trial judge.