Ex-Karnataka minister,3 others convicted in Telangana mining case

Delivering the verdict in the high-profile Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case, the CBI special court in Hyderabad on Tuesday convicted former managing director B V Srinivasa Reddy, former Karnataka minister and OMC promoter Gali Janardhan Reddy, former director of Andhra Pradesh mines and geology department V D Rajagopal and then deputy director of mines and geology Mefaz Ali Khan.The court acquitted former Mines and Geology Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and former mines department official Kripanandam. Y Srilakshmi, former principal secretary of mines, was discharged from the case in 2022. They have been 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). Soon after judgement, CBI takes ex-Karnataka min Janardhan Reddy and others into custody. 
The case, involving illegal mining operations in the Anantapur district of Telangana, has been under trial for 13 years, with over 3,400 documents examined and 219 witnesses interrogated. The case dates back to 2009, when the CBI began investigating OMC's mining operations. The agency found that during Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's tenure as Chief Minister, authorities favoured Gali's OMC in granting iron ore mining leases for 68.5 hectares and 39.5 hectares in Obulapuram. D Hirehal and Rayadurgam Mandals were allegedly given to OMC through fraudulent means. Linga Reddy, the assistant director of mines, played a key role in ensuring OMC received these leases while ignoring 23 other applicants.
Reddy had been a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Gangawati Assembly constituency since 13 May 2023 being associated with the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha. He rejoined Bharatiya Janata Party on 25 March 2024. He is an influential mining baron known for his dominant role in the iron ore industry, particularly in the Bellary region. Investigations revealed that OMC entered into a dubious Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Singapore-based shell company, GLA Trading International (GLATI), to underreport sales and evade taxes in India. GLATI, with offices in tax havens like Singapore, Dubai, and the British Virgin Islands, was partly directed by Gali Janardhan Reddy himself.