Another IAS officer joins accused list

HYDERABAD: The CBI on Monday added the name of yet another IAS officer to the list of accused in the high-profile cases being investigated by it. In the third chargesheet filed by the agency in the Jagan Mohan Reddy illegal assets case, G Venkatram Reddy, presently collector of Srikakulam, has been named among the cabal that allegedly conspired to help the son of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in raising quid pro quo investments from the Ramky Group.As an IAS officer facing corruption charges, Venkatram Reddy joins the company of fellow steel framers B P Acharya (Emaar scam and Jagan wealth), L V Subramanyam (Emaar) and Y Srilakshmi (Obulapuram mining scam).In CBI’s third chargesheet, Venkatram Reddy figures as accused no. 5. Another person added to the list of accused in the case is Ayodhya Rami Reddy (A 4) and the company of which he is chairman, M/s Ramky Pharma City (India) Ltd (A6). As before, Jagan himself is A 1, his financial adviser V Vijay Sai Reddy A2 and his company M/s Jagathi Publications A3. As in the earlier chargesheets filed in the case, the CBI said Jagan used his influence with his father, the then CM, YSR Reddy, to confer benefits on business houses, in return for which they ploughed plum investments into his own companies. Ramky Pharma City India Ltd’s (RPCIL’s) Ayodhya Rami Reddy, aided by Jagan and Vijay Sai, is accused of inveigling a plum concession from YSR, by which the mandated green belt of 250 m was whittled down to 50 m for its Pharma City project in Vizag, yielding a gain of 914 acres to the company.Jaganmohan Reddy in a conspiracy with Vijay Sai Reddy prevailed upon his father, the then CM, to take a decision to that effect. The then CM in pursuance of the criminal conspiracy reduced the green belt inside the RPCIL from 250 m to 50 m,’’ CBI SP H Venkatesh said in an official release.As for the role played by Venkatram Reddy, who was then the vice-chairman of the VUDA, CBI said he approved the RPCIL layout in violation of the rules. RPCIL obtained a wrongful gain of 914 acres inside Pharma City and by selling the land, dividing the plots, RPCIL obtained a wrongful gain of `133.74 cr,’’ the CBI said.