Two more nights for Srilakshmi in CBIs care

HYDERABAD: Y Srilakshmi will have to spend two more nights in the CBI’s office at Koti. The IAS officer accused of granting illegal mining leases to former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy’s company was remanded to three days in the CBI’s custody by a special court here on Tuesday. Having already spent one night in the care of the CBI, she has to endure two more days of discomfort after which she will be in judicial custody until Dec. 12.The agency will have time until 4 p.m. on Dec 1 in which to interrogate her. Thereafter she will have to be produced in court and handed over to the court’s care. She can only be questioned between 9 am and 5 am and in the presence of her counsel.Looking tired, Srilakshmi was brought to court Tuesday by CBI additional superintendent of police R M Khan amid tight bandobust. Her husband, M Gopi Krishna, an IPS officer, was by her side.Though the CBI’s deputy legal adviser B Ravindranath initially wanted 15 days of custody to interrogate her, he later pared it down to eight and then five.Ravindranath said custodial interrogation was necessary as the agency still needed clarity on five points: 1) to know how she was associated with A1 (Gali Janardhan Reddy), A2 (B V Srinivas Reddy) and other accused in the grant of mining leases to OMC; 2) to know about the persons who directed or recommended the mining leases and the monetary benefits she received; 3) to know about any other associates who played a key role in the case; 4) to know about the bribes taken from several persons and where they were routed; and 5) recoveries, if any to make.Srilakshmi’s counsel countered that the CBI was going beyond the scope of the investigation.He said the agency had already questioned Srilakshmi on nearly five occasions, each time for eight-nine hours and sometimes till 8 p.m. at night.“What else does the CBI want to know from her? Custody is unwarranted as my client has made herself clear on all issues,’’ he argued.The magistrate, however, assured the counsel that Srilakshmi would be taken care of by CBI. It would be better than putting her behind bars.