SC seeks report on cases against Reddy

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from the CBI on the current status of two 2011 FIRs registered against Associated Mining Company of former minister G Janardhana Reddy, Deccan Mining Syndicate and others for alleged illegal mining.

A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the investigating agency to file a report within seven days after advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing NGO Samaja Parivartana Samudaya, contended that the CBI had not challenged the discharge of all the accused from the cases.

The CBI was not represented before the court. The two cases were registered by the CBI’s anti-corruption bureau in Bengaluru on the direction of the apex court.

In view of CBI’s affidavit of November 3, 2015, the bench also comprising Justices Prafulla C Pant and A K Sikri noted that the court had not been apprised of the current developments. Bhushan submitted that the trial court had already passed a discharge order in the cases.

“Revisions have been filed before the High Court in respect of some of the discharged accused and the discharge of the other accused has not been challenged,” he said.

“As the CBI is not represented and has not informed the court on the current position with regard to the aforesaid two cases, we direct the CBI to file a report before this court within seven days from today with regard to the status of the two cases, including the proceedings that may be pending before the High Court arising out of the discharge orders passed by the trial court,” the bench said.