Judicial custody of Janardhana Reddy extended till June 5

Bangalore: A CBI court on Wednesday extended till June 5, the judicial custody of former Karnataka minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy and his personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan, arrested in connection with an illegal mining case.

Additional Civil and Sessions Court Judge and CBI special court judge BM Angadi passed the order after CBI moved an application seeking extension of custody.

The judicial custody of three other accused, including two government officials who were arrested later, was also extended till June 5.

All five were produced in court via video-conferencing.

Meanwhile, the bail plea of Mr Khan has been adjourned to Thursday. Senior Supreme court counsel Madhusudan R Nail will represent him.

Advertisement

Earlier arguing on Mr Reddy's bail application, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani submitted that no prima facie case had been made out against his client.

"It is not a case of entrustment of property by anybody to him. The lessee in this case is an open contractor who won his licence (mining) in accordance with the statute and government is getting rent and royalty from him", he submitted.

Advertisement

"Mining lease has not been entrusted, it has been entered into. There is no criminal breach of trust. I am not an agent, I am an independent contractor", Mr Jethmalani argued.

He also pointed out that Section 409 of IPC (which involves criminal breach of trust), one of the charges leveled against Reddy, was added subsequent to his arrest.

Advertisement

Contending that offences made out against Mr Reddy are non-cognizable and non-punishable, Mr Jethmalani argued that the mining lease of Associated Mining Corporation, which expired in 1996, was renewed on Dec 8, 2003 and that Mr Reddy became a member of the firm only on August 1, 2009.