Court rejects Reddys' third bail plea

After remaining elusive for the last few days, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Y Srilakshmi, accused number four in the case, reached the CBI office at Koti at 10.30 am.
Srilakshmi, who is currently family welfare commissioner, was industries secretary in-charge of mines, when Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by Janardhana Reddy was granted leases for mining iron ore in Anantapur district.

The officer, who has been questioned by CBI several times, went on leave last week and proceeded to her sister’s home in Chennai and then to New Delhi. She returned to Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The CBI sleuths simultaneously questioned former director of mines V D Rajagopal in the illegal mining case and cross checked his version with that of Srilakshmi. He is the third accused and was arrested on Saturday.

He is currently in CBI custody, which has also summoned some Mining Department employees working at the state secretariat for questioning. 

 Agreeing with the CBI’s argument that the tainted mining baron could influence key  witnesses in the ongoing Obulapuram case, the court delivered its verdict much to the disappointment of Gali and his brother-in-law.