Judge arrested in Cash for bail scam admits receiving offer from Reddys

New Delhi: Lower court judge who was arrested in "Cash for bail scam" said, former Karnataka minister, Gali Janardhana Reddy's relatives offered as much as 100 crores to secure a bail for him.

Chief Judge of Small Causes Court, K Lakshmi Narsimha Rao, who was arrested by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau, confessed that Dasaradharami Reddy, a relative of Gali Janardhana Reddy, had made the offer, according to a remand application filed by the ACB a few days ago.

The judge, now suspended, is in the judicial custody after being in ACB custody for some days.

"…Narasimha Rao voluntarily stated that Krishna Prasad, who is an auditor, and Venkateswara Rao, a relative of him, approached Narasimha Rao in the second week of April 2012 and said that Dasaradharami Reddy, a relative of Gali Janardhana Reddy, is known to him".

"He (Dasaradharami Reddy) had asked to search for a channel to influence the CBI judge for Reddy's release on bail and for which Dasaradharami Reddy was ready to pay even Rs 100 crore," the remand application said.

ACB arrested Narasimha Rao on July 12. According to ACB, Pattabhirama Rao, the CBI Court Judge, granted bail to the former Karnataka minister, arrested in illegal mining case, last month after taking a bribe.

Reddy's bail was later cancelled by the High Court.

ACB has arrested Pattabhirama Rao, and also family court judge Prabhakar Rao.

"On hearing the said figure of the amount, he (Lakshmi Narasimha Rao) was shocked and allured. He planned to convince Naga Maruti Sharma, the CBI Judge who was dealing with Gali Janardhana Reddy's case at the time," as per ACB.

He called Naga Maruti Sharma on April 18 to his residence and tried to persuade him, but Naga Maruti Sharma declined, said the ACB application.(IANS)(Image;newsX)