Karnataka BJP MLA disqualified following conviction in illegal mining case

BJP leader G. Janardhana Reddy was disqualified as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly after a special CBI court convicted him in an illegal iron ore mining case.

With this, one seat in the state Assembly has fallen vacant.

"Consequent upon conviction of G. Janardhana Reddy, member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Gangavati Constituency by the court of the principal special judge for CBI, cases, Hyderabad in CC.No.1 of 2012, he stands disqualified from the membership of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the date of conviction i.e., May 6, 2025 in terms of the provisions of article 191(1) (e) of the Constitution of India read with section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951," Karnataka Assembly said in a notification on Thursday.

It said, "Such disqualification shall continue for a further period of six years since his release, unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court."

A special CBI court in Hyderabad on Tuesday convicted Reddy and three others in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) case after a prolonged legal battle spanning nearly 14 years.

The court sentenced them to seven years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each.

Reddy was named accused number two. The court also imposed a Rs 1 lakh fine on the company.

Soon after the judgment, the CBI took Reddy and others into custody, and were shifted to prison.

Reddy had formed the Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) ahead of the Assembly polls in 2023, snapping his two-decade-old association with the BJP, and won the Gangavati assembly seat.

He, however, rejoined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by merging his outfit with the saffron party.