Justice Samudrala Govindarajulu of the High Court on Thursday dismissed the bail application of VD Rajagopal, former vice-chairman and managing director of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) and accused in the illegal mining case of Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) owned by former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan reddy.
The judge, while dismissing the bail plea, pointed out that even though the CBI admitted that the investigation into the role of the accused was completed, it was trying to ascertain some other crucial facts in the case after the arrest of Ali Khan, personal secretary of Gali Janardhan Reddy.
The judge, in his order, opined that the CBI had a point of view that the arrest of Ali Khan would throw some more light on the entire crime, including the case against Rajagopal, and that the CBI had been making efforts to secure the presence of Ali Khan in Hyderabad from his present custody in a Bengaluru jail to examine him in the OMC case.
The judge also took on record the fact that the Enforcement Directorate was continuing its probe against several accused, including Rajagopal, into the allegations under the Money Laundering Act.
In view of the above facts the court was not inclined to grant bail to the petitioner at this juncture as there was every likelihood of tampering with evidence if he was released on bail.