Bengaluru, Jan 23 (Agencies): Former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy was released from Parappana Agrahara prison on Friday two days after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court. He spent more than three years in prison for allegedly carrying out large scale illegal mining in and around Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
"Reddy was freed from the jail after his lawyers produced the CBI court order and furnished two sureties of Rs.10 lakh each, as stipulated by the apex court for his conditional bail," a jail official told reporters later.
Reddy's family and supporters gathered in huge number outside the Parappana Agrahara prison to give a roaring welcome to their leader.
On stepping out of the prison gate, Reddy was greeted by his wife, children, relatives, including younger brother G. Somashekar Reddy, while hundreds of his supporters cheered him lustily.
Before leaving the prison, Reddy collected his personal belongings that were kept in one of the jail lockers.
Reddy's family drove him in a Mercedes Benz to his posh apartment in an upscale suburb in the city's centre.
Earlier, police imposed a ban on the assembly of more than five people 500 metres around the prison and deployed additional forces to maintain law and order.
"We have promulgated prohibitory order under section 144 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) around the jail in light of intelligence reports of possible disturbance and damage to public property in the vicinity by Reddy's frenzied supporters from his home town," additional police commissioner Alok Kumar told reporters.
A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, granted bail to Reddy after the CBI submitted that the probe into the illegal mining cases was completed and chargesheets were filed in its courts in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
The bench, also comprising Justices A. K. Sikri and Arun Mishra, ordered Reddy not to leave the country without its permission and directed him to surrender his passport.
He has also been warned against influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence in the multiple cases.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the tainted baron Sep 5, 2011 from his house at Bellary in the state's mineral-rich northern district along with his brother-in-law and his Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) managing director B.V. Srinivasa Reddy and drove them to Hyderabad central jail in neighbouring Telangana.
In the main case, Reddy's company (OMC) was accused of altering mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary reserve forest, spanning the border districts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, about 300km from here.
Gali Janardhan Reddy's bro-in-law too gets bail in mining case
Hyderabad, Jan 23 (PTI): The Hyderabad High Court has granted bail to B V Srinivasa Reddy, one of the prime accused in Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) illegal mining case allegedly involving the mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.
The High Court allowed the plea of Srinivasa Reddy, the Managing Director of OMC and Gali Janardhan Reddy's brother-in-law, yesterday.
Srinivasa Reddy, currently in Chanchalguda Central Prison here, had filed the bail application in September 2014.
Janardhan Reddy and Srinivasa Reddy were arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011. Three days ago, the Supreme Court granted bail to Janardhan Reddy in the OMC case.
The apex court granted bail after CBI submitted that the investigation was complete and both the charge sheet and the supplementary charge sheet had been filed.
Following this, Srinivasa Reddy's lawyer sought bail for his client from the High Court on the ground of parity.
The HC directed Reddy to submit two sureties of Rs 10 lakh each, to surrender passport before the special CBI court and not to leave the country without informing the trial court.
He should not visit the mining areas in Bellary in Karnataka and Anantapur and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh and should not try to influence the witnesses or tamper with evidence, the HC said.
He would have to appear before the trial (CBI) court for every hearing. If he fails to comply with any of the bail conditions, CBI may point it out to the court, the HC said.
OMC is accused of tampering with mining lease boundary markings and carrying out mining illegally in Bellary reserve forest area on Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh border.