A CBI special court on Monday summoned former minister and mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy’s wife Lakshmi Aruna to appear before it in person on July 10 in the Associated Mining Company case. CBI special court judge B.M. Angadi ordered that the summons be issued against Aruna, who is accused No. 2 in the CBI charesheet in the AMC case.
Mr Reddy also moved a fresh bail application before the CBI special court as the CBI has already filed the chargesheet in the case. The court directed the CBI to file objections and posted the hearing to July 10. It extended the judicial custody of Mr Reddy till August 4. The CBI had chargesheeted the former tourism minister and six others. Hours later, the CBI court dismissed the anticipatory bail applications of all the accused on May 30.
Three other accused in the case are in judicial custody – S. Muthaiah, then Deputy Conservator of Forest, Bellary district; S.P. Raju, then Deputy Director Mines and Geology department, Hospet; and Mahesh Patil, Range Forest Officer in Sandur taluk. They have also moved bail applications. The CBI special court on Monday took cognisance of the offences listed against Aruna in the chargesheet and summoned her. She is a co-owner of the Associated Mining Company (AMC).
The CBI filed a 28-page chargesheet along with 18,379 supporting documents on May 30. The CBI has not yet arrested Aruna and IAS officer and then director of Mines Shivalingamurthy, both of whom have been charged with various offence. The chargesheet also names Mr Reddy’s personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan, then DCF Bellary Mutthaiah, then RFO Mahesh Patil and deputy director Mines and Geology department S.P. Raju, who have been sent to judicial custody. The CBI had registered the FIR on October 1 last year on the directions of the SC listing offenses under 409 (criminal breach of trust which attracts life sentence), 379 (theft), 468, 471 (forgery), 447 (criminal trespass), 13 (1) (Rs d’ and Rs c’) of Prevention of Corruption Act and MMRD act.