Court summons Jindal, others as accused in coal scam money-laundering case

New Delhi, August 14 

A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned industrialist and Congress leader Naveen Jindal and 14 others for alleged money-laundering in a case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of a Jharkhand coal block.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar directed the accused persons to appear before the court on October 15.

Besides Jindal, those summoned as accused include Jindal Steel and Power Ltd's then adviser Anand Goel, Mumbai's Essar Power Ltd's Executive Vice-Chairman Sushil Kumar Maroo, Nihar Stocks Ltd's Director BSN Suryanarayan, Mumbai-based KE International's Chief Financial Officer Rajeev Aggarwal and Gurgaon-based Green Infra's Vice-President Siddharth Madra.

Those arrayed as accused also include K Ramakrishna Prasad, Rajiv Jain and Gyan Swaroop Garg.

Besides the individuals, the court also summoned as accused six companies-JSPL, Gagan Sponge Iron Ltd, Jindal Realty Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd, Sowbhagya Media Ltd and Nihar Stocks Ltd.

In its charge sheet filed through special public prosecutor N K Matta and advocate Tarannum Cheema, the ED alleged that Jindal's firm - JSPL - along with others had influenced the screening committee to allot the coal block by investing more than Rs 2 crore in illegal gratification.

The case, filed under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) pertains to the allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand. - PTI