Reddy heat to singe AP babus, politicians

Reddy completed 24 hours at the Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad, even his lawyers filed bail application and prepared a counter-petition refuting the CBI charges against him in its remand report seeking his custody. A senior officer of the CBI said Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy could also be questioned in connections with cases under which Janardhana Reddy  and Srinivas Reddy were arrested.

The CBI has already submitted a memorandum to the special court seeking to add two more pertinent sections to the existing sections slapped on the duo from Bellary.

Section 409 of IPC (Criminal Breach of Trust by a public servant) is aimed directly at the public servants involved in the mining scam and Section 468 of IPC (forgery for the purpose of cheating) is aimed at booking the officials who helped the mining mafia in transporting the ore to ports and for helping in loading and unloading the ore with the help of fake documents.

IAS officers Srilakshmi and Rajagopal are facing allegations that they showered favours to Reddy brothers in the allocation of iron ore mines.

While Rajagopal, former MD of Mining Department, has retired, Srilakshmi was shifted by the K Rosaiah government from her posting as Principal Secretary, Mines and Industries, to the Family Welfare Department where she works at present.

The officers in the Mining Department are spending sleepless nights as the CBI has announced that it has gathered “incriminating evidence in the shape of documents” against insiders in the government who violated rules to favour Reddy.

The Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP)�that spearheaded an agitation against the illegal mining the Obulapuram Mining Company of the Reddys has demanded an inquiry into the alleged involvement of ministers in charge of mining during the YSR�regime, particularly Sabitha Indra Reddy considered very close to the departed leader and currently the home minister.

“YSR (Y S Rajasekhara Reddy)â��appointed his confidants mining ministers so that the theft of iron ore can go on unhindered,” alleged rebel TDP leader Hariswar Reddy. Similarly, the Opposition wants the CBI to look into the role of yet another minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy (now in Jagan camp) who, too, held the mining portfolio.

Former union minister and senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattareya also demanded that a deeper probe is required to pinpoint the role of the Congress Party in the illegal mining of iron ore. “There is no hand of the BJP in the whole affair. It was the Congress government under the rule of YSR that facilitated illegal mining, transport and export of iron ore,” he said.