The former Karnataka Minister, Gali Janardhan Reddy, was granted conditional bail by a special court for CBI cases here on Friday in the case of alleged illegal mining by the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by him.
He will, however, remain in Bangalore jail where he is presently lodged in connection with another case of illegal mining by the Associated Mining Company (AMC), also owned by him.
The court dismissed the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi in the OMC scam and the CBI's request to keep the order of bail for Janardhan Reddy in abeyance for a week to enable it to move the High Court.
Janardhan Reddy was asked to furnish a bond for Rs. 5 lakh with two sureties of like sum, surrender his passport, remain in Bellary, and attend court whenever required. His brother Somasekhar Reddy was present in the court hall from morning till 5 p.m. when the order was pronounced.
The former Karnataka Minister as well as the OMC managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy were arrested in Bellary on September 5 last year and shifted here. Janardhan Reddy was shifted to Bangalore on March 1 to face trial in the AMC case wherein his wife Lakshmi Aruna and BJP MLA of Kudligi B. Nagendra were also accused.