Cash-for-bail: ACB court seeks Janardhan's presence

A special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court here on Friday issued a prisoner-on-transit warrant for production of former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy on September 25 in the cash-for-bail case.

 After taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed by Andhra Pradesh ACB against seven persons, accused of trying to bribe the suspended judge T Pattabhirama Rao for giving bail to Reddy in Obulapuram Mining Company case, the court said that Reddy and others be produced before it on September 25.

 Reddy, a mining baron, is presently in a jail in Bangalore in connection with another mining case; therefore the warrant was issued against him. It would enable the ACB officials to bring him before the court here.

 Two district judges (now suspended) figure in the present chargesheet: K Lakshminarasimha Rao and T Prabhakar Rao.

 Other accused in this case include Bellary City MLA Gali Somashekhar Reddy -- Reddy's brother, Kampli MLA T H Suresh Babu, Dasaratharam Reddy (a relation of Reddy's). Court has sought their presence too.

 The ACB, on August 13, had filed its first chargesheet against Rao and seven others for entering into a conspiracy to facilitate bail for Janardhan Reddy. 

PTI