CBI court verdict is a crushing blow to Janardhana Reddy's hopes of political revival in Karnataka politics
In a major blow to his hopes of political revival, former Minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a CBI special court in Hyderabad in connection with the Obulapuram illegal mining case – one of several that have long shadowed his career. The judgement marks a potentially decisive moment in the turbulent political journey of one of Karnataka's most controversial figures. For a man who once wielded kingmaker status within the State BJP, this conviction could very well be the final chapter in a saga marked by audacious comebacks and dramatic downfalls.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ballari City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy termed the court verdict as 'divine justice' and said, 'Janardhana Reddy tried to carve out parts of Karnataka's territories in Ballari district to project them as belonging to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, solely to serve his illegal mining interests. I see the verdict by the CBI Special Court as divine justice,' Mr. Bharat Reddy told The Hindu.
S.R. Hiremath, a prominent activist known for his relentless crusade against the illegal mining mafia in Karnataka, hailed the verdict as a significant milestone. 'Janardhana Reddy was such a powerful figure in the mining industry that he attempted to influence the judiciary to secure favourable judgments through bribery. In such a context, the CBI court's decision to convict and sentence him to seven years in prison is historic. I hope that the other pending cases against him in various courts and tribunals also reach their logical conclusions,' he said.
Modi, Cong. govt should act
Mr. Hiremath also urged the BJP's national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take a stand and ensure that the tainted MLA is removed from the Karnataka Assembly.
Tapal Ganesh, a Ballari-based miner and long-time critic of Mr. Janardhana Reddy's mining operations, echoed the sentiment. 'Janardhana Reddy obtained a mining permit from Andhra Pradesh but carried out operations in Karnataka's Ballari district along the inter-State border. Using the A.P. permit, he illegally extracted 20 to 30 lakh tonnes of iron ore. The CBI Court's judgement is commendable,' Mr. Ganesh said.
He further alleged that the Congress-led Karnataka government had made little effort to bring Janardhana Reddy to justice in other related cases. 'The inter-State border survey is unscientific, and officials, acting under Janardhana Reddy's influence, are doing nothing to rectify it,' he added.
The road to revival
In his chequered political career, after being sidelined within the party, Janardhana Reddy launched his own outfit, the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Although he managed to win the Gangavathi seat himself, the experiment largely failed. He remained KRPP's lone victor, while even his wife, Lakshmi Aruna, suffered a decisive defeat in Ballari City at the hands of Mr. Bharath Reddy.
Janardhana Reddy then returned to the BJP and continued his determined efforts to revive his influence. Having spent more than 13 years in exile from Ballari due to court-imposed restrictions, he finally received relief from the Supreme Court just ahead of the Sandur byelection last year. He wasted no time in taking charge of the BJP's campaign, in a bid to re-establish his regional dominance. The byelection was seen as a litmus test of his residual political capital.
Rift with Sriramulu
However, the results did not go in Janardhana Reddy's favour. The BJP lost the Sandur seat to the Congress, and in the aftermath, he reportedly attempted to shift blame onto his longtime ally and close aide B. Sriramulu, a prominent BJP leader and key figure from the Naik (Beda) community. The fallout strained one of the most influential alliances in Ballari politics, further weakening Janardhana Reddy's revival strategy and isolating him.
Tuesday's CBI court verdict now appears to be a decisive blow. The sentence is likely to remove Janardhana Reddy from electoral politics for the near future and dismantle the carefully constructed narrative of a political comeback. Even if he appeals and obtains a stay, the conviction severely dents his momentum by rekindling public memory of the mining scams, corruption, and cronyism that have plagued his image.
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