Adding to the legal troubles of the former Minister G. Janardhan Reddy, the Lokayukta police registered a fresh disproportionate assets (DA) case against him and searched multiple premises linked to him on Tuesday.
The Lokayukta police searched his plush flat in Parijatha Apartments here where Mr. Reddy was also present through the raid. The police also searched his residence in Ballari and offices of his mining firms Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and Associated Mining Company (AMC) there. The Lokayukta police registered a fresh DA case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Mr. Reddy on Monday evening, following which the searches were conducted.
“There was an illegal mining complaint before the Lokayukta in 2011, which triggered the formation of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The DA case is natural fallout of that complaint, which we are doing now,” said Sonia Narang, Superintendent of Police, Lokayukta, Bengaluru.
However, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate have earlier conducted several searches and attached most of Mr. Reddy’s properties. The Lokayukta police said they had not come across any new asset yet. A senior official said the probe had cast a wide net, including Mr. Reddy’s assets in foreign shores, and would include assets attached by the Central agencies as well to check on new assets.
The official said the check period for the DA case was likely to be between 2006 and 2012, when Mr. Reddy was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council.
On November 20, Mr. Reddy was arrested by the SIT in a new case. He was granted bail by the Lokayukta Special Court a few days later.
B. Sriramulu, Ballari MP and close associate of Mr. Reddy, alleged that the new case against Mr. Reddy and searches were politically motivated and timed before the panchayat elections.
