You have not pursued attachment plea for 7 years: Karnataka High Court pulls up CBI in Gali Janardhana Reddy illegal mining case

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday castigated the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for having failed to properly pursue an application for attaching the properties of former BJP leader, Gali Janardhana Reddy for 7 years..The Court made the observations while disposing of the probe agency's 2022 petition seeking such attachment in connection with a corruption case filed against Reddy.In this regard, it was highlighted that a 2015 application in the matter by the CBI was only numbered by the jurisdictional Court in 2022. This prompted the Court to question the CBI on whether it had pursued the matter seriously during the intervening period."For 7 years this application, it was not even numbered – why? You have not pursued the matter at all… For 7 years what did you pursue? … For 7 years! How can you justify 7 years delay, sir? … You have not pursued at all. Now you complain on the State government," the judge orally observed.The State counsel added that there has been little progress in the matter even after those 7 years. He also reiterated concerns that properties that ought to have been attached, are being sold off..Notably, the Court was apprised today that the State government has granted necessary approval for the proposed attachment as required under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944 read with Section 5 (6) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. .In view of this, the High Court proceeded to dispose of the CBI's plea, opining that no further order by the Court would be necessary. .After hearing what the State government had to say in the matter, the Bench has also ordered that its earlier observations against the government be expunged. ."In the light of the order that is now passed by the State government ... the observations made in the earlier order upon the State government are necessary to be expunged and the CBI shall pursue the matter and take the issue to its logical end and not wake up from slumber and then file applications after 7 years," the Court said in its order..The State government had submitted on Thursday that the CBI's earlier assertions against the government in the matter were wrong and unwarranted. .It was submitted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) itself was responsible for the delay in attaching Reddy's properties. Having delayed the matter, the probe agency was now passing on the buck to the State government, the Court was told. .The CBI had moved the plea before the High Court seeking a direction to the State for the expeditious consideration of an August 2022 application to attach Reddy’s properties.The petition filed through advocate P Prasanna Kumar said that as per the investigation, Reddy along with his associates caused wrongful loss to the State to the tune of ₹198 crores by indulging in illegal mining activities.It was alleged that Reddy engaged in large-scale mining in Bellary and surrounding areas, thereby, causing wrongful loss to the government.After the representation was made, Reddy allegedly began disposing of these properties in order to evade the procedure of law.Raising concern over such developments, the CBI had also made a representation to the Ranga Reddy District Registrar to abstain from registering any documents relating to the properties sought to be attached, the Court was told.In the CBI's petition, as well as in today's hearing, it was noted that, when the prosecution's 2015 application was filed, Reddy and his family members held properties worth about ₹ 65 crores, which lay in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The CBI had further submitted in its petition that 219 other properties were traced in the course of its inquiry, which lay in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and was worth about ₹ 17 crores.