Coal scam: Jharkhand ex-CM Koda, ex-coal secy Gupta get 3-year jail term

New Delhi, December 16

A special court on Saturday awarded three years jail term to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and ex-coal secretary H C Gupta in a coal scam case.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on Koda and Rs 1 lakh on Gupta.

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Former Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu and Vijay Joshi, a close aide of the then chief minister, were also awarded jail term of three years for indulging in corrupt practices and hatching criminal conspiracy in allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to a Kolkata-based private company, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL).

Special judge Bharat Parashar convicted Vini Iron and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on it.

The convicts, including Koda, however, were granted statutory bail for a period of two months to enable them to file appeals in the Delhi High Court challenging the conviction and the jail term.

The convicts were tried for offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) of the IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI had said that the firm had applied for allocation of Rajhara North coal block on January 8, 2007.

It had said although the Jharkhand government and the Steel Ministry did not recommend VISUL’s case for coal block allocation, the 36th Screening Committee recommended the block to the accused firm.

The CBI had said that Gupta, who was chairman of the screening committee, had concealed facts from the then prime minister Manmohan Singh, who at that time headed the Coal Ministry too, that Jharkhand had not recommended VISUL for allocation of a coal block.

Following is the chronology of events:

December 2014: CBI files charge sheet against Koda, others.

Jan 21, 2015: Court summons Koda, others as accused.

Feb 18: Court grants bail to accused after they appear before it and seek relief.

July 14, 2015: Court orders framing of charges against Koda, others.

July 31: Court frames charges against accused.

July 11, 2017: Court concludes hearing in coal case.

Dec 5: Court reserves order.

Dec 13: Special court holds Koda, Gupta and others guilty of corruption, criminal conspiracy and other offences.

Dec 16: Special court awards three-year jail term to Koda and Gupta. PTI