Though she was acquitted by the Telangana High Court in the OMC case, the CBI is said to be preparing a strong appeal.
Published Nov 17, 2022 | 8:16 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 17, 2022 | 8:16 AM
The Telangana High Court, after hearing both sides, found no evidence to support the charges brought by the CBI against Y Srilakshmi. (Creative Commons)
While senior bureaucrat Yerra Srilakshmi’s recent acquittal by the Telangana High Court in the sensational Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case has sparked rumours that she is in the running for the position of Andhra Pradesh chief secretary, sources familiar with the case tell South First that she should not celebrate just yet.
The CBI will most likely appeal the high court’s ruling in the Supreme Court, and it will use every available resource to make its case. Srilakshmi’s chances of being appointed chief secretary are slim in the light of this concerted effort by the CBI to move the apex court.
The CBI doesn’t want the officer to rest easy for the time being, so all eyes are on the investigation agency now.
Her promotion last March had raised many eyebrows. It is learnt that though the Union government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), recommended that her promotion should be “regular”, the then chief secretary, Adityanath Das, issued orders promoting Srilakshmi as special chief secretary on an “ad-hoc basis”.
Apparently, a special chief secretary can only be made a chief secretary, and that’s the reason for the Jagan Reddy government promoting Srilakshmi. The 1988 batch officer entered service at a very young age and will have a tenure up to 2026 if she is picked as chief secretary.
Srilakshmi is also an accused in Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s quid pro quo case filed by the CBI and spent time in jail. After Jagan became chief minister, she evinced interest in shifting to Andhra Pradesh and, with active support of the Jagan government, the Centre moved her from the Telangana to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
