HYDERABAD: Senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi, an accused in the illegal mining scam that continues to rock Andhra Pradesh, was granted bail by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court on Friday. Srilakshmi in her bail application has put the blame on former Mines and Geology Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy for issuing the controversial Government Orders (Nos 151 and 152) to Obulapuram Mining Company Pvt Ltd.
At the time of her arrest on November 28, Srilakshmi held the post of family welfare commissioner. She was suspended as per the rules for being in the custody of the investigative agency for more than 48 hours. Srilakshmi, who was remanded to judicial custody till December 12, got bail on health grounds.
Srilakshmi figures as accused No 4 in the CBI FIR. The other three accused in the case are OMCPL M D Srinviasa Reddy, former Karnataka minsiter Gali Janardhan Reddy and former director of mines and geology department V D Rajagopal.
The CBI charged Srilakshmi with “cheating” the government by sanctioning iron ore mining lease to OMCPL “violating” all rules prescribed in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960. The note sheet for the issue of GOs was prepared on June 18, 2007, and the same day it was approved by the then Mines and Geology Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy. The agency states that Srilakshmi abused her official position as the secretary of Industries and Commerce Department, by issuing the two GOs without mentioning the words “captive mining” thereby causing pecuniary gain to OMCPL.
The CBI contended that had the GOs been issued to utilise the iron ore only for captive purposes, it would in fact have made the OMCPL set up a steel plant. The agency inferred that Srilakhsmi who had deliberately omitted the two words in the GOs, should have issued revised GOs when the issue became controversial subsequently but she did not rectify the mistake.