In a major relief to IAS officer and Andhra Pradesh Special Chief Secretary Y Srilakshmi, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday, 8 November, cleared all charges against her by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Obulapuram mining case.
In her discharge petition in the high court, she argued that there was no evidence to support the charges made by the CBI against her.
She filed the petition in the court challenging a CBI court’s order on 17 October refusing to quash the charges against her.
The CBI registered the case against her in March 2012, charging her for resorting to irregularities in the implementation of a Government Order (GO) allotting lease for the mining of iron ore to the Obulapuram Mining Company when late YS Rajasekhar Reddy was the chief minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The Central probe agency claimed she colluded with the promoter of the company: mining baron and regional political strongman Gali Janardhana Reddy.
The CBI said Srilakshmi had resorted to misuse of her official position when she was the secretary of the Industries Department between 2007 and 2009 in issuing the GO.
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Srilakshmi argued in the high court that the notification for the issue of the mining lease was released even before she took over as the secretary of the department.
She argued that there was neither conspiracy nor any irregularities in the issue of the GO, as was being made out by the CBI. But counsel for the CBI held on to the argument that there was enough evidence in support of the charges against her.
The high court, after hearing both sides, found no evidence to support the charges brought by the CBI, and dismissed all the charges against her.
A 1988 batch IAS officer, Srilakshmi was arrested by the CBI on 28 November, 2011, and sent to judicial custody. She came out of jail in October 2012.
After four years, the government revoked her suspension orders. She then joined the Telangana government as she was originally allotted to the new state.
She was later allotted to AP after the CAT gave an order in her favour in 2020.
