Sriramulu appears before Anti-Corruption Bureau

Former Karnataka minister and Badava Shramika Raitha Congress party founder B. Sriramulu appeared before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Andhra Pradesh here Tuesday in the cash-for-bail scam involving mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy.

In response to the notice served by the ACB last week, Sriramulu reached the ACB office Tuesday morning to appear before investigating officers.

Sriramulu, a member of the Karnataka assembly from Bellary rural constituency, is a close aide of Janardhana Reddy, who was arrested by the CBI in the illegal mining case in September last year. Reddy is currently lodged in Bangalore jail.

Sriramulu was accompanied by BJP MP from Bellary J. Shanta and Raichur MLA Sanna Phakirappa.

The ACB had summoned Sriramulu for questioning after his nephew and Kampli legislator T.H. Suresh Babu told the investigating officials that he had acted on the former minister's directions to hand over bribe money for the CBI judge.

Suresh Babu along with Janardhana Reddy's brother and Bellary Urban MLA G. Somasekhara Reddy have already been arrested in the case.

The two legislators along with Dasaradharama Reddy allegedly handed over Rs.9.5 crore as bribe for CBI judge T. Pattabhirama Rao.

The judge granted bail to Janardhana Reddy in May but it was subsequently cancelled by the Andhra Pradesh high court.

The suspended judge, his son Ravichandra, retired judge T.V. Chalapathi Rao, rowdy sheeter Yadagiri Rao and junior lawyer Aditya were among the accused arrested in the case. The ACB on Aug 13 filed a chargesheet against eight accused.

In a related case, the ACB has also arrested two serving judges K. Lakshmi Narasimha Rao and D. Prabhakar Rao and realtor Ravi Surya Prakash Babu on charges of approaching Pattabhirama Rao with the bribe offer on behalf of Janardhana Reddy's family.

Interestingly, Pattabhirama Rao had rejected the offer which came through these two judges but later accepted the offer which came through his friend Chalapathi Rao.