The Special Court of Sessions in Karnataka, which deals exclusively with criminal cases involving former and present MPs/MLAs, has issued an order to attach 82 properties belonging to former Minister G. Janardhana Reddy and his wife G. Lakshmi Aruna in relation to a corruption case involving illegal mining and export of iron ore.
The court’s decision, partly allowing the application filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2015, aims to secure the properties until the resolution of the case. The CBI had requested the attachment of these properties under the provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944, claiming that they were purchased using funds derived from illegal mining activities conducted between January 2009 and May 2010. The court exempted properties acquired before June 1, 2009, and directed the attachment of five properties registered under Mr. Reddy’s name and 77 properties registered under his wife’s name.
Ms. Lakshmi contested the attachment of her property, but the court ruled that she failed to provide evidence of acquiring it independently from the alleged ill-gotten money obtained through illegal mining. The CBI aims to recover approximately ₹198 crore, the amount of loss caused to the State exchequer by Mr. Reddy’s illegal mining operations, through the attachment of properties estimated to be worth around ₹65 crore.
