Mining baron Reddy completes two years in jail

September 4, 2013
Bangalore, Sep 4: Gali Janardhana Reddy, who rode to riches on booming iron ore exports in the last decade and virtually lorded over the BJP in Karnataka for over five years, completes two years behind bars Sep 5 on charges of illegal mining.

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The former Karnataka minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party has spent most of the two years in Hyderabad's Chanchalaguda Central Jail. Of and on, he has been in Bangalore's main prison at Parappana Agrahara in the eastern part of the city.

The 46-year-old Reddy, one of three sons of an Andhra Pradesh police constable, is fighting cases of illegal mining of iron and its export from both Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. His pleas for bail have been rejected many times by courts in both states.

One of his brothers, Gali Somashekara, a former BJP legislator, also spent some time in jail as he is an accused in what came to be known as the cash-for-bail deal last year.

Another brother, Gali Karunakara, has so far not been snared in illegal mining and cash-for-bail scams. He lost the May 5 assembly election.

Somashekara did not contest the assembly polls, claiming that getting Janardhana out of jail was more important to him.

Janardhana was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation Sep 5, 2011, from his palatial home in Bellary, about 300 km from Bangalore on the Karnataka-Andhra border, and was lodged in Hyderabad's Chanchalaguda jail over an illegal mining case in that state.

Though hailing from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the Reddy brothers made Bellary, the iron-ore rich district of Karnataka on the border of the two states, their home.

Janardhana and his wife Laskhmi Aruna own the Obulapuram Mining Company which operated in Andhra Pradesh. They also own Associated Mining Company which operated in Karnataka.

Lakshmi Aruna is also an accused in the Karnataka case, but has not been arrested.

As he spent time in the two jails, Janardhana also saw the decline of fortunes of the brothers' close associate and former BJP minister B. Sriramulu, who quit the BJP and floated a party which fared miserably in the May 5 assembly elections, winning just four seats in the 225-member house that includes one nominated member.

Sriramulu also faced the heat over the cash-for-bail deal. He has been interrogated by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau, but not arrested.

The Reddy brothers joined the BJP just ahead of the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.

They became close to the party's fiery leader Sushma Swaraj as she took on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who contested from Bellary also, besides family stronghold Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Sushma Swaraj has since distanced herself from the Bellary brothers, who used to call her 'thayi' (mother).

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December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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December 16,2025

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Melkar (Bantwal): The 9th Annual Day celebration of SMR Public School, titled “EXCELLENTIA”, was held on December 15 with great enthusiasm and dignity, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s journey towards academic excellence and holistic development.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. U. T. Iftikar Ali. The chief guests were Dr. Akhtar Hussain, Mr. P. Moosabba Beary, Mr. Zakaria Jokattre, and Dr. T. M. Abdul Rahuf—whose inspiring addresses motivated the students and appreciated the school’s contributions to education.

Mr. Abdul Nasir, Mr. Ibrahim Gadiyar, Mr. Razak Golthamajal, Mr. Sali Koya, Mr. Arshad Hussain, Mr. Ismail Balanoor, Mr. Feroz Bawa, Mr. Sahul Hameed, Mr. Abubakkar, Mr. Hameed K. Mani, Mr. Abdul Majeed (Principal, Melkar Women’s College), and Mr. Abdul Lathief (Former Principal, Melkar Women’s College) were the guests of honour.

The Annual Report was presented by the Headmistress, Ms. Fathimathul Zaheera, highlighting the school’s achievements and progress during the academic year. The Presidential Address was delivered by the Chairman of SMR Public School, Dr. Haji S. M. Rasheed, who emphasised the vital role of education in shaping students’ futures and stressed the importance of discipline, dedication, and consistent effort in achieving 100 per cent academic results.

Secretary of SMR Public School, Mr. Rifath Ahmed, and PTA President, Mr. Sandeep Kumar, were also present on the occasion.

The Annual Day celebration showcased the collective efforts of students and teachers and reaffirmed the school’s commitment to quality education and all-round development. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, parents, and well-wishers for their support. The 9th Annual Day—EXCELLENTIA—was a memorable and successful event, leaving a lasting impression on everyone present. 

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December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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