Illegal mining: SC pulls up CBI for delay

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy to visit Ballari for two weeks from June 8 to attend to his ailing father-in-law.

The top court, however, pulled up the CBI, saying “we are concerned as why charges have not been framed and trial yet not started” in the case related to Rs 35,000-crore mining scam.

A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi allowed a plea by senior advocate S Ganesh for permission to Reddy to visit Ballari, his hometown, for two weeks.

But the court refused to consider his request for diluting the restriction on his visit to Ballari.

Ganesh said on five and six different occasions, this court had granted Reddy a leave to visit Ballari and there was not a single complaint that he ever violated his bail condition.

“This time, his father-in-law had suffered stroke. He had undergone three bypass surgeries. His medical condition is extremely precarious and he was lying in ICU of a hospital over there,” he said.

Ganesh also pointed out that in July 2016, there was a direction by the apex court to speed up the trial but charges have yet not been framed.

“The trial seems to be an interminable affairs. It is causing unnecessary trouble, so why not remove the condition and allow the petitioner to approach the trial court for permission to visit Ballari on each occasion,” he said.

Main accused

Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, appearing for the CBI, submitted that he was the main accused in Rs 35,000 crore mining scam. He was filing the application to permanently remove the restriction on his visit to Ballari.

“Why were charges not framed for six years? We are concerned about the delay in framing the charges. We want to know the reasons for it,” the bench asked her.

To this, the ASG informed the court that the charges could not be framed because some of the co-accused filed application for discharge.

She said the CBI would like to file a detailed reply in the matter. The court, however, said it was confining itself to his limited prayer for visit to Ballari to see his father-in-law.

The court had in March, this year dismissed his plea to remove the bail condition for him not to visit Ballari.

He had then contended the condition barring him to enter Ballari had become redandunt. The petitioner has never violated any bail condition, he should be allowed to visit and remain in Ballari as his family and friends lived over there, he said.

Reddy cannot visit Ballari as per the conditions of bail granted on January 21, 2015 by the top court. The top court had in 2015 enlarged Reddy on the bail in a case of illegal mining with a condition that he would not visit Ballari, Ananthpuram and Cuddapah.