The Supreme Court of India has asked the Telangana High Court to reopen the case against senior IAS officer Y. Srilakshmi in the Obulapuram illegal mining scam. This comes after the CBI challenged the earlier decision that had cleared her of all charges.
The scam is linked to illegal iron ore mining in the Obulapuram region of Andhra Pradesh, where private companies were accused of violating environmental rules and extracting more ore than permitted.
Srilakshmi, who was the Mines Secretary at that time, is accused of helping certain companies by changing official records. The CBI says her actions made illegal mining possible.
Key Timelines
June 18, 2007: Y. Srilakshmi, as Secretary of Industries, signs two government orders (GOs 151 & 152) granting mining leases to Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), omitting the “captive mining” clause, which allowed OMC to export iron ore.
November 28, 2011: Srilakshmi is arrested by the CBI, becoming the first IAS officer arrested in the OMC scam investigation.
December 2, 2011: She is granted conditional bail after being in police custody for 48 hours.
January 2, 2012: Andhra Pradesh High Court cancels her bail; Srilakshmi is taken into judicial custody.
March 31, 2012: CBI files a supplementary chargesheet against Srilakshmi, charging her with criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and corruption.
October 9, 2012: She is granted interim bail, which is later extended for medical reasons.
March 21, 2013: Srilakshmi surrenders before the CBI court in Hyderabad after her interim bail expires; she is remanded to judicial custody.
In 2022, both the CBI court and the Telangana High Court cleared Shrilakshmi.
In 2023, the CBI went to the Supreme Court, claiming that her role had not been properly investigated.
Now, in 2025, the Supreme Court has ordered a fresh investigation and told the High Court to finish it within three months.
Srilakshmi was arrested in 2011 and spent almost a year in jail before getting bail due to health issues. She was suspended from duty but later reinstated after the AP-Telangana bifurcation.
Even though she is among the senior-most IAS officers, she hasn’t received important postings under the present TDP coalition government.
The High Court will soon take up the case again. If the court finds enough evidence, criminal charges could be filed against Srilakshmi. This would be a big blow, especially with her retirement coming up in June 2025.
