CBI Special Court in Nampally gives a big verdict in the long-pending Obulapuram illegal mining case, which once shook the Telugu states. After 14 years of investigation, the court found Gali Janardhan Reddy guilty, along with the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), its MD Srinivas Reddy, and others. The court sentenced them to 7 years in jail and imposed a ₹1 lakh fine.
Former Mines Director VD Rajagopal and Gali’s personal secretary Ali Khan were also found guilty. However, BRS senior leader and former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy was declared not guilty, bringing her a long-awaited relief. Retired IAS officer Kripanandam was also acquitted. Earlier, IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi had already been cleared in this case.
The mining license was granted during the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s tenure as CM, and later, serious allegations surfaced that Gali Reddy’s company had overstepped the allotted area and even damaged a temple. The case was taken up seriously after YSR’s death, and the first chargesheet was filed in 2011.
During the trial, the court examined 219 witnesses and reviewed 3,400 documents. One accused died during the process. Gali Reddy appealed for leniency citing thousands of workers employed by his companies, but the court rejected it, noting nearly ₹884 crore in public funds were misused.
Now, preparations are underway to send the convicted to prison, while Sabitha Indra Reddy and Kripanandam walk free, ending a long chapter in their lives.
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