A SYSTEMATIC MIN(E)D GAME

The Chalchalgudi jail which once housed petty criminals, witnessed a ‘criminal’ of a greater political reach and influence on the eve of this year’s Teacher’s Day. Law seemed to have taught him a great lesson for life!

Gali Janardhana Reddy, an SSLC/ high school pass-out and the son of a former police head constable has been living the life of a king, with Bellary as his kingdom. The 44-year old has lived royally, flaunting his wealth. It is said he possessed a golden throne, 2 helicopters, a Rolls Royce, a fleet of SUVs and the power to make or break the government in Karnataka with his contacts and power derived from the Tourism Ministry. He has proved to be nothing less than the king of ‘Vijayanagara’.Ironically, he spent Rs.30 crores from the government treasury on the celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the coronation of the ‘original’ king of Vijayanagara- Krishnadevaraya.

With the international price for iron ore skyrocketing, the export of iron ore from Bellary too increased over time and in parallel rose Reddy’s wealth. Owing to which he donated a diamond-studded crown for the presiding deity at Tirupati, costing a whopping 45 crores! Over the years, Janardhana Reddy floated numerous firm, one of which was the ‘Ennoble Finance’ and also brought out a Kannada daily- ‘Ee namma Kannada naadu’.

Janardhana Reddy business mainly flourished in 2003 through the Obulapuram Mining Company with the help of Y. S. Rajashekara Reddy, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Karunakara Reddy and Sriramulu too have been the directors of Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) in the past. The Reddy brothers have been known for their love for gold and CBI, in its latest raid, has confiscated a huge amount of gold. A foot tall gold idol of Venkateshwara and a 6 inch tall idol of Padmavathi made of pure gold has also been seized from the Reddy’s residence. The long list of confiscated items contained 50 necklaces, 650 gold bangles, 300 earrings, and about 1300 gold rings amongst other items. Sources have indicated that this was just the tip of the ‘gold’berg!

Illegal mining in Bellary was so rampant that the Lokayukta of Karnataka had to dedicate about 10 chapters to the role of Janardhana Reddy in his report on Illegal Mining in Karnataka. The ombudsman had severely criticized the trio of Karunakara, Janardhana Reddy and Sriramulu and recommended a detailed probe into their finances.

The law finally caught up with the ‘benami’ transaction between Jagan Reddy and Janardhana Reddy coming to the fore after YSR’s death.

Preliminary investigations have revealed the Reddy brothers have amassed wealth to the tune of 7500 crores through illegal mining.

Shouldn’t our judicial system be quick enough to handle such situations and issues and take swift action? Many ministers in this country have been involved in many cases in the past. But, they have often been seen to delay the judicial proceedings against them citing health reasons. When will they stop delaying the justice system and stand trial? When would justice be seen being delivered? When will equality before the law actually become reality in this state of Karnataka?

As long as people like Janardhana Reddy remain under-trial and not be convicted, these questions will play on every citizen’s mind.

ARTICLE SUBMITTED BY:       NARAYAN A. KULKARNI

                                                3^RD YEAR, B.A.