Cash-for-bail: Somashekhar Reddy appears before ACB

Bellary city Member of Legislative Assembly Gali Somashekhar Reddy, an accused in the cash-for-bail scandal involving his brother and jailed former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, on Friday finally appeared before the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The ACB which is probing the cash-for-bail scam was questioning Somashekhar and would examine him again on Saturday, a top ACB official told PTI on Friday.

The ACB had earlier summoned him along with BJP's Kampli MLA T H Suresh Babu (who has already been arrested in the case), to appear before it as part of the investigation.

However, Somashekhar who is charged with playing a key role in the scam had evaded the sleuths so far. Somashekhar, Suresh Babu and Janardhan Reddy's relative Dasaratha Ram Reddy (also arrested by ACB) have been accused of bribing suspended judge T Pattabhirama Rao in granting bail to mining baron Janardhan Reddy.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had earlier in its complaint to ACB said that Somashekhar Reddy, Dasaratha Ram Reddy, Suresh Babu, advocate T Aditya, retired judges T V Chalapathi Rao, Pattabhirama Rao and others had allegedly entered into a conspiracy for showing official favour and granting bail to Janardhan Reddy and thus committed criminal conduct.

The case was cracked by CBI after Pattabhirama Rao, who was additional special judge for CBI court, granted bail to Janardhan Reddy while rejecting the bail plea of suspended  Indian Administrative Service officer Y Srilakshmi in connection with the Obulapuram Mining Company scam.

Amid allegations of illegal gratification and corruption against Pattabhirama Rao, the Andhra Pradesh high court suspended him on May 31 while transferring the case to ACB.

The ACB has so far arrested three serving judges including Pattabhirama besides seven others in the case.