Gangavathi MLA G Janardhan Reddy has been disqualified from the Karnataka Assembly after his conviction in a case of illegal mining earlier this week.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary MK Vishalakshi issued a notification regarding his disqualification on Thursday, May 8, under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act and Article 191 (1) of the Constitution. He will be disqualified for a period of six years from the date of conviction May 6, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court.
Janardhan Reddy contested the Assembly elections in 2023 as a candidate of his own political party, the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP). He subsequently merged the party with the BJP.
A special CBI court in Hyderabad convicted Janardhan Reddy, and four others in a case of illegal mining involving the Obalapuram Mining Company registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation 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 provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d)).
The special CBI court convicted Reddy’s relative BV Srinivasa Reddy, who was Managing Director of Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), K Mehfuz Ali Khan, personal assistant to Reddy, VD Rajagopal, then Director of Mines, and the company Obulapuram Mining Company itself.
The court acquitted Sabitha Indra Reddy, former Andhra Pradesh Minister for Mines, and Kripanandam, a retired IAS officer who was then Secretary for Industries, citing insufficient evidence.
The CBI chargesheet had named a total of nine people including 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.