Here's why Janardhana Reddy is on I-T radar after daughter's Rs 500-cr wedding

In 2011, Reddy had been arrested on charges of illegally mining iron ore and had been in prison for over three years

Since hosting his daughter's lavish wedding, in which he apparently splurged Rs 500 crore, Bellary mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy has been on the income-tax radar. The I-T department on Monday raided Reddy's Obulapuram mining company in Bellary.

Reddy had hosted the opulent wedding at the Bangalore Palace grounds on November 16. 

the I-T department also conducted surveys in Bengaluru and Hyderabad on service providers engaged for the wedding.
 

Earlier, Reddy, then state tourism minister in the B S Yeddyurappa-led Karnataka government, had been arrested in 2011 on the charges of illegally mining iron ore and jailed for over three years. He is said to have made Rs 5,000 crore through iron ore mining in Bellary. The criminal charges against him relate to the Andhra Pradesh branch of the multi-billion dollar mining empire that he runs with family and two brothers.

The five-day wedding extravaganza that he hosted earlier this month included ceremonies held against the backdrop of lavish settings. The ostentatious wedding had stirred up a huge row over its timing, when people across the country were reeling under cash crunch after the central government's move to demonetise high value currency notes.

Palace grounds, which plays host to grand weddings, presented almost a surreal picture as Reddy's daughter Bramhani entered into a wedlock with Rajeev Reddy, the son of a leading businessman from Andhra Pradesh, with rituals conducted by a battery of priests from the famous Tirumala temple.

The grandeur of the wedding was such that huge sets replicating Vijaya Vitthala temple of Hampi, the seat of the glorious erstwhile Vijayanagara empire, and Tirumala Tirupati temple were erected at the venue, along with the replica of the homes of both of bride and the groom.

Pre-wedding events have been on with equal extravagance at the venue for the past five days. Artistes and dancers from different parts of the country, including Samba dancers from Brazil, were part of one such bash last night.

The first glimpse of the ostentatious wedding came with the invitation box with a LCD screen playing a video, where Reddy and family were seen inviting guests, lip syncing to a song.

Thousands of people attended the event today and were given saplings along with sweets as a return gift.

The who's who of the Kannada and Telugu film industry attended the wedding ceremony and wished the newly wed. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, Home Minister G  Parameshwara, Energy Minister D K Shiva Kumar, Transport  Minister Ramalinga Reddy, BJP state President B S Yeddyurappa  were among prominent leaders who attended.