SC allows mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy to visit Ballari

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed mining baron and former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy to visit and stay in his home town Ballari.

A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari modified the condition imposed by the top court in its Jan 20, 2015 bail order to allow Reddy to visit and stay in Ballari for eight weeks.

The bench said in view of the facts and circumstances that the trial has not commenced and that the petitioner has not violated any of the bail conditions when he was earlier directed to visit his hometown Belllari earlier, we direct the condition to be modified.

The top court also directed the trial court to make every endeavour to expedite the proceedings, saying these cases cannot be kept in hanging in fire and must be handled expeditiously.

The court had in 2015 granted bail to Reddy in illegal mining case registered by the CBI on December 7, 2009. He was then ordered not to visit Ballari in Karnataka, and Ananthpuram and Cuddapah districts in Andhra Pradesh.

In an application for modifying the conditions, Reddy, through senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Ranjit Kumar, contended that the trial in the case has yet not commenced and he should not made to suffer for it.

His counsel submitted the CBI has not made any effort to expedite the trial and in case and certain stay orders were granted in applications by other co-accused, for which he cannot be held responsible.

The CBI, for its part, vehemently opposed the plea, saying Reddy was an influential person and should not be allowed to visit Ballari as most of the witnesses in the case belonged to the place.

Additional Solicitor General Madhvi Divan submitted that the petitioner has attempted to subvert the judicial process, including influencing of the judges so the bail condition ought not be modified.

She also said 2015 bail order was consensual and the petitioner should not be allowed now to seek its modification.

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