Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday, August 18, issued notices to former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and retired IAS officer Kripanandam in connection with the illegal Obulapuram mining case. The court also directed the registry to call for relevant records from the CBI special court.
The development comes after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an appeal challenging the May 6 verdict of the Hyderabad CBI Court, which had acquitted Sabita Indra Reddy (then minister for Mines) and Kripanandam (then Secretary for Industries). They were listed as the 8th and 9th accused, respectively, in the case.
Appearing on behalf of the CBI, senior counsel Srinivas Kapatia argued that while the special court had convicted Gali Janardhan Reddy, his associate BV Srinivasa Reddy, his personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan, and former Director of Mines VD Rajagopal, it had failed to take into consideration the evidence presented regarding the roles of Sabita Indra Reddy and Kripanandam.
The CBI contended that the lower court overlooked crucial findings, which prompted the agency to file the appeal.
Justice K Lakshman, after hearing the arguments, permitted the CBI to proceed with the appeal and accordingly issued notices to the two acquitted individuals.
He adjourned the matter to September 17, when the appeal will be heard along with the petitions filed by Gali Janardhan Reddy and others who were convicted by the CBI Court.
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