It appears that troubles are not yet over for senior IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi, who is currently in a "waiting" position without a posting under the Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh government.
Srilakshmi had previously been accused of favouring mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy during her tenure as principal secretary (mines) in the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy government, reportedly under political pressure.
This led to her arrest and over a year in jail in connection with the Obulapuram Mining Corporation (OMC) case, alongside prime accused and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.
Though she was discharged from the case by the state high court in 2022, and initially appeared to get some relief after the CBI court delivered its judgement on Tuesday, her respite was short-lived.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the high court’s verdict and ordered a fresh probe into Srilakshmi’s role in the case.
The apex court instructed that the reinvestigation be completed within three months and that the earlier discharge ruling should not influence the new investigation.
In its verdict, the CBI court sentenced Gali Janardhan Reddy, B.V. Srinivasa Reddy, V.D. Rajagopal, and Mehfuz Ali Khan to seven years of imprisonment each, along with a fine of ₹20,000 per person.
Additionally, Rajagopal, the former director of mines, was handed an extra four-year sentence and a ₹2,000 fine. Failure to pay the fines would result in an additional six-month prison term.
