After spending more than three years in jail, mining baron and former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy on Friday stepped out of the central prison in Bengaluru after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in an illegal mining case.
He was greeted by hundreds of his followers who had gathered both near the Parapana Agrahara central prison and his residence by waving at them, as he also made a stopover at a temple on his way home.
Released from the prison this evening, he drove to his residence at 'Parijatha' apartments in a Mercedes Benz car accompanied by his close confidant and BJP MP Sriramulu, with a police escort.
Reddy, facing several criminal cases, was arrested in September, 2011 by CBI. He is an accused in the illegal mining case involving his Obulapuram Mining Company and the Supreme Court on January 20 had granted bail to him.
Police had promulgated prohibitory orders since yesterday in about half-a-km radius around the Parappana Agrahara prison
ahead of his release.
"My brother Janardhan Reddy is released on bail. The whole family is happy and there is festive mood at home. He was away from us for three-and-half years, today he has joined us. I wish for his happiness," Reddy's brother G Somashekara Reddy told reporters in Bengaluru.
Declining to comment on Reddy's next political move, he said, "he has just come home today, let us leave him free, let him enjoy some time... let's look at it later."
The Apex court had granted bail after CBI submitted that the investigation in the case involving Reddy is complete and both the charge sheet as well as the supplementary charge sheet have been filed.
While granting bail, the bench imposed certain conditions including that Reddy will be released from jail on furnishing two sureties of Rs 10 lakh each and that he shall not leave the country without the permission of the court while directing him to surrender his passport.
