Bribe-giver Janardhana Reddy had cash plan for bail in Karnataka

[1]

As more details of the case emerge in jailed former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy’s 'mining bribe for bail' scam, highly placed sources revealed that the bribe involved was not Rs 5 crore or Rs 15 crore but a massive Rs 60 crore package deal that would have ensured that the mine baron was off the hook in the Obulapuram mining case in Andhra Pradesh.

Of the Rs 60 crore deal allegedly meant to be distributed to rowdy sheeters, AP state minister, sitting judges, ex-judges, lawyers and a former journalist, top sources involved in investigating mining scam told Deccan Chronicle that Rs 15 crore has been paid in advance by Janardhana Reddy’s associates. This is the cash that CBI sleuths were working to recover, sources said.

Shockingly, Janardhana Reddy’s men — allegedly the Kampli MLA and his nephew Suresh, and one of the Reddy brothers, Somashekhar and Reddy’s advocate — had prepared a similar plan to procure bail for the imprisoned mining czar in the Associated Mining Company’s case in Karnataka by offering huge bribes in this state.

They believed that since they had pulled it off with Hyderabad’s CBI special court judge Pattabhi Ramarao granting bail to Reddy on May 12, they could do the same in Karnataka.

Two MLAs associated with him and a family advocate began working on a similar plan to get him out on bail in Karnataka after the Bengaluru branch of the CBI filed a chargesheet against him in the AMC case, claim sources.

It’s also alleged that it was on the advice of judge Pattabhi Ramarao that the services of senior counsel, Ram Jethmalani were hired for Janardhana Reddy to make it seem that he had got bail because of his persuasive arguments in court.

Jethmalani was brought to the CBI special court in Bengaluru on May 23 by cutting short his Europe tour to argue on behalf of Reddy in the AMC case, but the CBI special court refused to grant him bail and extended his judicial custody to June 5 instead.

Meanwhile , the two MLAs from Bellary who are allegedly involved in the matter, are reportedly afraid they could be arrested as the CBI, Hyderabad branch reportedly has audio recordings and even CCTV footage to prove the involvement of everyone from politicians to petty rowdy sheeters in the case.