Illegal Mining Case: Bengaluru Court Orders Police To File Criminal Case Against Ex-Tourism Minister Janardhana Reddy

A special court in Bengaluru recently ordered the Karnataka Police to file a criminal case against former State Minister for tourism G Janardhana Reddy and others in a decade-old multi-crore illegal mining case.

In this case, Reddy and his brother-in-law BV Srinivasa Reddy were first detained in September 2011. In January 2015, the Apex Court granted them bail. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was investigating the case at that time.

Special Judge J Preeth has now ordered the police to file a criminal case against Reddy in connection with the same case. The complainant this time, however, is the Lokayukta’s special investigation team.

Aside from Reddy and his brother-in-law, the court has also ordered an investigation into his confidante Mehfouz Ali Khan and former MLA B Nagendra. The complaint also includes the names of senior IAS and IRS officers, as well as four mining companies.

According to the complaint, from April 2009 to December 2009, Madhukumar Varma, the owner of Shree Minerals and Sri Basaweshwara Minerals, and Trident Minerals partners Hotur Abdul Vahab, Hotur Noor Ahamed, and Hotur Mahammed Iqbal engaged in a criminal conspiracy with some government officials and mine owners.

It is claimed that the accused engaged in illegal iron ore mining as early as 2011 and defrauded the state to the tune of nearly Rs 211 crore.