Hyderabad: Senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday on charges of abusing her official position and granting favours in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case involving former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.
Srilakshmi was the Secretary, Industries and Mining during the YSR regime and is charged with allotting licences to Obulapuram Mining Corporation, by flouting rules. She was being questioned for the last few days by the CBI.
Currently the commissioner of family welfare, Srilakshmi is the fourth to be arrested after Janardhan Reddy, OMC MD Srinivas Reddy and former director of AP Mines VD Rajagopal.
A special CBI court sent Srilakshmi to three-day CBI custody. After finishing the custody, she will be sent to judicial custody till December 12.
She was the secretary of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Department when late YS Rajasekhar Reddy was chief minister. As per CBI, she favoured OMC in allotting mining lease, overlooking the bids of others, during this period.
She had been questioned three-four times by CBI earlier, with regard to allotment of mining leases during 2004 to 2009.
One of the major allegations is about grant of mining lease over 68.5 hectares at Obulapuram in Anantapur district.
A CBI team went to the family welfare department office and brought her to CBI office at Koti. In the evening she was produced before the metropolitan magistrate who directed the agency to produce her before a special CBI court tomorrow.
Her husband is an IPS officer, currently posted with CID.
In the course of investigation, it has also recorded the statements of Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, who was mines minister in YSR government; senior IAS officer MGVK Bhanu and retired IAS officer K Prabhakar Reddy.
Srilakshmi is said to be the first serving IAS officer in Andhra Pradesh to have been arrested in corruption case.
Top government sources said that CBI did not need to take the permission of the government for arresting an IAS officer.
"For launching criminal prosecution, government permission is required. For arresting, permission may not be required," sources said.
(With additional information from PTI)
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