The bail pleas of mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy were again rejected by a local court here on Thursday.
Janardhana Reddy, owner of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and its’s MD Srinivas Reddy had on November 8 moved bail applications in the CBI Special Court here for the third time on the grounds that majority of the investigation into the case was over and they were in remand for over two months and would not influence the witnesses.
The CBI had arrested the Reddys on September 5 from Bellary in Karnataka, and the duo are presently in judicial custody till November 28 and lodged at the Chanchalguda Central Prison here. The central agency had earlier opposed the fresh bail petitions of the Reddys expressing apprehensions that they might tamper with evidence if they are released.
The agency had also informed the court that investigation of the case was at a crucial stage and the accused could influence witnesses.
Referring to the ground cited by Reddys that they were entitled to bail because the maximum of 60 days for filing chargesheet had lapsed since their arrest, the CBI had informed the court that section 409 of IPC (criminal breach of trust) was added in the FIR subsequently which gave the agency the liberty to fulfil the task in 90 days.
The court had earlier rejected their bail pleas on September 13 and had handed them to CBI for interrogation till September 19. On September 30, the court while again dismissing the bail petitions of Reddys, had also dismissed the agency’s petition which sought custody of both the accused for nine more days.