Charge sheet against Somashekhara Reddy

The police have submitted a charge sheet against 14 people, including Legislator G Somashekhara Reddy and corporator K S Diwakar, with regard to the death threat issued to senior forest officer U V Singh, when he had visited the Ramagad forest area for inspection as part of the Lokayukta investigation into the illegal mining case.

The charge sheet was submitted in the JMFC court in Sandur by Hoovinahadagali DySP Nagaraj on Wednesday. More than 30 witnesses have been questioned. Reddy is in jail in the cash for bail case, for the release of former minister G Janardhana Reddy, who is in CBI custody.

Singh had, on September 12, 2009, conducted the inspection, seized nine vehicles and directed that a case be filed.

Reddy had called Singh on the phone and issued a death threat to him. Singh directed Ramalingaiah, an official of the mines and geology department, to file a police case in this regard. However, Ramalingaiah registered cases against eight people who were at the spot, but left out Somashekhar Reddy and Diwakar.

Meanwhile, CBI, Hyderabad, on Thursday produced a warrant from a local court and took Ali Khan, the personal assistant of former minister Janardhana Reddy, and an accused in the illegal mining case to Hyderabad.