IAS officer Srilakshmi, accused number 4 in the illegal mining case involving the former Karnataka minister Mr Gali Janardhan reddy, at last got an audience with the Chief Minister Kirankumar reddy on Monday and explained him about her role in granting of leases to the Gali-owned Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC).

She met Kirankumar reddy along with her IPS officer-husband Mr Gopi Krishna at the CM’s camp office and narrated her suffering.

She reportedly told the CM that it was true that all OMC files moved faster in her office than any other file but she only acted at the behest of the then CM and his friend and the then Government adviser Mr KVP Ramachandra Rao.

“I did everything at their behest but they are all safe and ultimately I was implicated in the case,” she told him, adding that she has been running out of mental peace for the last few days because of the issue. “I never experienced this much mental suffering in my career,” Srilakshmi expressed her mind before the CM.

She also said she was not responsible for the missing of the words captive mining from the GO issued in relation to the allotment of mining land lease for OMC.

The government decided to allot 270 acres of mining land on lease basis to the OMC with the condition that the iron ore extracted from the mines should be used for the Brahmani Steels promoted by Gali brothers. This is known as captive mining.

In all the note files preceding the GO, this was clearly mentioned but in the final GO issued for the allotment of land, the words ‘captive mining’ were missing.

She has told the CM that she was ignorant of how the words were missing in the GO issued by her. Kirankumar reddy, who carefully listened to her version, asked her not to worry unnecessarily about the issue.

CBI rejects her version

CBI, which questioned her twice on the issue, dismissed her argument as useless and said she was in the know of things always. ‘She did everything knowingly,” said a top CBI officer. (JUB)