Janardhana Reddy's remand extended; wife summoned

A Central Bureau of Investigation court on Monday summoned the wife of mining baron and former Karnataka minister G Janardhana Reddy to appear before it on July 10 in an illegal mining case filed against them.

CBI special court judge B M Angadi ordered the issue of summons to Aruna Lakshmi, the second accused in the illegal mining case filed against Reddy, already in judicial custody since his arrest in September last year.

Lakshmi is the co-owner of the Deccan Mining Syndicate and Associated Mining Corporation.

The judge also extended till August 4 the judicial custody of Reddy, his personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan and three others, arrested in connection with illegal mining.

The remand of the five, lodged in Bangalore Central Prison, was extended through video conferencing facility.

The court granted time till July 10 to the CBI to file its objections to the bail applications moved by the five. The court had dismissed their earlier bail applications on May 30.

The three others who have moved the bail plea are, S Muthaiah, the then Deputy Conservator of Forest, Bellary

District, then Deputy Director Mines and Geology department, Hospet, S P Raju, and Mahesh Patil, who had seved as a Range Forest Officer in Sandur taluk.