Bengaluru, Jan 10 (IANS): The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday rapped the BJP government in the state for not giving permission for seizure of properties of mining baron and politician Gali Janardana Reddy.

The bench has questioned the government why the decision regarding giving consent has not been taken for five years. "According to the government, not taking action might also be an 'action'. But, this is not acceptable to the court," the bench said.

The court had also asked the government to submit clarification regarding the issue. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had, on August 30, 2022, sought consent of the government to seize the properties of Janardana Reddy, alleging that the properties were amassed illegally.

However, the government has not given its consent so far. Following the development, the CBI had approached the court seeking directions to the government in this regard.

The CBI said that they had detected 219 new properties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and investigations had shown that these properties were purchased through illegal sources of income.

The agency has also claimed that after its action, Janardana Reddy is allegedly selling properties in Kurnool and Rangareddy districts. Janardana Reddy has launched a new political party in Karnataka recently ahead of the Assembly polls and also started campaigning.