Obulapuram case: 7-year jail for Gali, Sabita acquitted

[Anta Assamey]

After a prolonged trial of more than 15 years, the special court for CBI cases in Nampally on Tuesday delivered its final verdict in the sensational Obulapuram Mining case, awarding seven year jail term for mining tycoon and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.

In all, five accused have been found guilty while two were acquitted.

Key accused in the case — Gali Janardhan Reddy, B.V. Srinivasa Reddy, Mefaz Ali Khan, and former Mines Director V D Rajagopal — have all been convicted. 

The court sentenced Gali Janardhan Reddy and the other four guilty parties to seven years in prison.

However, the CBI court granted relief for former Andhra Pradesh mines minister Sabita Indra Reddy and then Industries Department Secretary Kripanandam, who were both acquitted. The CBI court ruled that they were not guilty in the case.

The convicted in the case are: A1: B V Srinivasa Reddy, A2: Gali Janardhan Reddy, A3: V D Rajagopal, A4: Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), A7: K Mefaz Ali Khan

During the course of the trial, A5 Linga Reddy passed away, while A-6 Y Srilakshmi, senior IAS officer who was then secretary, mines was discharged from the case in 2022 by the Telangana high court.