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The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, June 19, restored the membership of BJP leader and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy as MLA from Gangavathi, following a recent order from the Telangana High Court. The Telangana HC granted Reddy bail by suspending his conviction and prison sentence.
The notification issued by Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary MK Vishalakshi said, “In view of the order dated June 11, 2025, by the Telangana High Court, the disqualification of Janardhana Reddy has ceased to be in operation, subject to further judicial pronouncements.”
Reddy was disqualified as MLA on May 8 under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act and Article 191(1) of the Constitution, following his conviction by a special CBI court in Hyderabad on May 6.
The disqualification would have barred him from contesting or holding public office for six years from the date of conviction, unless stayed by a competent court.
Reddy, who had contested the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections from Gangavathi as a candidate of his own political party — the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) — merged the outfit with the BJP soon after.
He was convicted in a high-profile illegal mining case involving the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2009. The charges against Reddy and others included criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), cheating (Section 420), criminal breach of trust (Section 409), and forgery (Sections 468 and 471) under the Indian Penal Code, along with violations under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Four others were also convicted by the special CBI court including BV Srinivasa Reddy, then Managing Director of OMC and a relative of Janardhana Reddy; Mehfuz Ali Khan, Reddy’s personal assistant; VD Rajagopal, former Director of Mines; and OMC itself.
The court acquitted former Andhra Pradesh Minister for Mines Sabitha Indra Reddy and retired IAS officer Kripanandam, citing lack of sufficient evidence. Among others named in the original CBI chargesheet were Lingareddy, a Forest Department official who passed away during the trial, and senior IAS officer Srilakshmi, who was discharged from the case by the Telangana High Court in 2022.