IAS officer Srilakshmi sent to judicial custody in mining case

Senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi, arrested in the illegal mining case involving Gali Janardhan Reddy-owned Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), was on Thursday sent to judicial custody till December 12 by a local court.

Srilakshmi, produced this evening before the Special CBI Court after completion of three-day CBI custody, requested the judge with folded hands that she be kept at CBI office (for the duration of judicial custody) rather than in the jail.

But she was sent to the Chanchalguda jail till December 12. Her husband, Gopi Krishna, himself a senior IPS officer, was by her side during the court proceedings. The court also reserved the order on her bail plea till Friday, after hearing the arguments.

Srilakshmi was arrested by CBI on Monday; she is accused of favouring OMC in grant of mining leases in 2007. Her bail plea says that she was only involved in processing of the file which led to issuance of the Government Order granting the lease. The lease had been provisionally granted by the Andhra Pradesh government one year before she took charge as secretary, Industries and Commerce, it says.

"The order was issued after approval by the then Andhra Pradesh Minister for Mines (Sabita Indra Reddy, currently the state home minister)," according to the bail application.

But CBI lawyer B Ravindranath said that "it was not proper to blame the minister as it is the secretary who should safeguard the interest of the state and guide the minister."

He alleged that Srilakshmi was closely involved in the criminal conspiracy and had exclusive knowledge of the scam, and of monetary transactions (bribes paid) for procuring the lease.