Karnataka MLA G Janardhan Reddy Gets Bail, Conviction Stayed in Mining Case
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Bengaluru, June 12, 2025: In a significant development, the Telangana High Court on June 11, 2025, suspended the conviction and seven-year imprisonment sentence of Gali Janardhan Reddy, the sitting MLA from Gangawati Constituency in Karnataka, in the high-profile Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case. The court’s order, passed in Criminal Appeal No.564/2025, effectively halts Reddy’s disqualification from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, allowing him to retain his seat pending further judicial pronouncements.
The decision comes as a major relief for Reddy, a former Karnataka minister and influential mining baron, who was convicted by the Principal Special Judge for CBI Cases, Hyderabad, on May 6, 2025, in CC.No.1 of 2012. The CBI court had sentenced Reddy and three others—his brother-in-law BV Srinivas Reddy, former Director of Mines and Geology VD Rajagopal, and personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan—to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for illegal iron ore mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest, causing an estimated ₹884 crore loss to the exchequer between 2007 and 2009.
The conviction had led to Reddy’s immediate disqualification from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly under Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution of India and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as announced in Notification No. KLAS/LEG/41/J.C.B.I/2025 on May 8, 2025. However, Reddy appealed the verdict, seeking suspension of his conviction and bail to contest potential by-elections in Gangawati.
Justice K. Lakshman, presiding over the case, granted bail to Reddy and the co-accused on furnishing personal bonds of ₹10 lakh each with two sureties. The court also stayed the conviction, citing Reddy’s prior incarceration of over three years (from September 5, 2011, to January 20, 2015) and the irreversible consequences of disqualification, such as losing the chance to contest elections. The court directed the accused not to leave the country without prior permission and to cooperate with ongoing legal proceedings.
The suspension of the conviction reverses Reddy’s disqualification, enabling him to continue as Gangawati’s MLA. The final hearing of the appeal is scheduled for August 11, 2025, before the Telangana High Court.
The OMC case, investigated by the CBI since 2009, involves allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Reddy, a prominent figure in Ballari’s mining industry and a former minister in BS Yediyurappa’s government, made a political comeback in 2023 by winning the Gangawati seat after a 15-year ban from entering Ballari was lifted by the Supreme Court in October 2024.
Legal experts suggest that the Telangana High Court’s interim order could have significant political implications, potentially strengthening Reddy’s position in Karnataka politics. However, the final outcome of the appeal will determine the long-term fate of his political career.
Keywords: G. Janardhan Reddy, Telangana High Court, Obulapuram Mining Case, Karnataka MLA, disqualification ceased, illegal mining case, Gangawati Constituency, CBI case,