The heat of the illegal mining activity undertaken by the mining mafia king Gali Janardhan Reddy has touched Lord Balaji too.
In response to the summons from the CBI officials, TTD EO Mr LV Subramanyam today appeared before the investigating agency in Hyderabad and provided the details of the diamond crown donated to the Lord by the tainted former Karnataka Minister during his hey days.
The CBI has reportedly decided to compare the details of the diamond-studded crown provided in the IT returns of Gali Janardhan reddy with the actual assessments to be made by experts.
Mr Gali Janardhan reddy, now cooling his heels in the Chanchalguda Jail in Hyderabad in the illegal mining case, donated the 30-kg diamond studded crown worth Rs.45 Cr to the Lord Venkateswara on June 11, 2009 on the occasion of his birthday.
Gali never actually disclosed the real worth of the magnificent crown but a popular notion has gained ground after his recent arrest that the Lord Balaji should not be decorated with the crown made with the tainted money and the TTD must return such tainted donations.
Skilled goldsmith workers from Coimbatore took nine months to make the special crown in specially arranged venues. Sources said the CBI wants to asses the real worth of the crown after getting the details from the TTD officials.