Gali Janardhana Reddy Convicted in 14-Year-Long Illegal Mining Case

Former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy has been convicted by a special CBI court for his involvement in illegal mining activities through the Obulapuram Mining Company. This verdict comes after nearly 14 years of legal proceedings.

The court sentenced Reddy, once an influential MLA, to seven years' imprisonment and imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000. The illegal mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, bordering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, is estimated to have caused a staggering Rs 884 crore loss to the exchequer.

Reddy's conviction is part of a larger case involving other key figures, including his brother-in-law Srinivas Reddy and former Director of Mines and Geology VD Rajagopal. The case has seen numerous charge sheets and involved substantial evidence, including testimony from 219 witnesses and over 3,000 documents.

(With inputs from agencies.)