Reddy relative held in cash-for-bail case

ACB has issued notices to prevent MLAs Somasekhara and Suresh Babu from fleeing

Andhra Pradesh’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Dasaradharami Reddy, a relative of former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, in the cash-for-bail case.

The ACB announced Dasaradharami’s arrest on Sunday though there were reports that he was picked in Tirupati on Friday night.The key accused in the case was produced before an ACB judge, who sent him to judicial custody till August 4. He was later shifted to Cherlapally Jail.

Dasaradharami Reddy has allegedly played a key role in bribing Central Bureau of Investigation Judge T Pattabhirama Rao for securing bail for Janardhana Reddy in the illegal mining case.

He along with Janardhana Reddy’s brother Somasekhara Reddy and Karnataka legislator T H Suresh Babu handed over cash to the accused.

The ACB has already issued lookout notices for both Somasekhara and Suresh Babu to prevent them from fleeing the country.

Dasaradharami is the ninth accused arrested in the case. Three judges, including Pattabhirama Rao, a retired judge, a lawyer and a man with criminal record were among those arrested so far.

Pattabhirama Rao, his son Ravichandra, retired judge T V Chalapathi Rao, rowdy sheeter Yadgiri Rao, junior lawyer Aditya and Dasaradharami Reddy were arrested in the case in which the CBI judge allegedly granted bail to Janardhana for Rs 10 crore.

Chief judge of city small causes court K Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, district and sessions judge D Prabhakar Rao and realtor Ravi Surya Prakash Babu were arrested for trying to bribe Pattabhi Rama Rao on behalf of Janardhana’s family for bail.
Pattabhirama Rao rejected the offer but later accepted the one which came through his friend Chalapathi Rao.

Narasimha Rao, during the questioning by ACB officials, has reportedly claimed that Janardhana’s relatives were ready to pay even Rs 100 crore for the bail.The High Court on May 31 suspended Pattabhirama Rao, who had granted bail to Janardhana Reddy on May 11.

The orders were later struck down by the High Court.