ME News Bureau: New Delhi: Madhu Koda, former Jharkhand chief minister, and HC Gupta, former coal secretary, have been held guilty of corruption and other charges in a coal scam case, by a special CBI court. The court will hear argument on quantum of punishment on Thursday.
Bharat Parashar, special CBI Judge, held Koda, Gupta and other accused persons, including Ashok Kumar Basu, former Jharkhand chief secretary and private company Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL), guilty of several offences that also include criminal conspiracy.
The case pertains to indiscretions in distribution of Jharkhand based Rajhara North coal block to Kolkata-based VISUL.
The court, however, acquitted four other accused persons of all offences. They include Navin Kumar Tulsyan, chartered accountant; Vaibhav Tulsyan VISUL's Director; and two public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh.
All the accused were summoned after the court took cognizance of alleged offences under various sections, such as 120-B (criminal conspiracy) combined with 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) of IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI alleged that VISUL had applied for allocation of the coal block on January 8, 2007.
It said although Steel Ministry and the Jharkhand government had not recommended VISUL, the 36th Screening Committee apportioned the block to the firm.
The CBI said that Gupta, who was the screening committee chairman, had allegedly hidden facts from then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who then headed the Coal Ministry too, that Jharkhand had not recommended VISUL’s name. It alleged that Koda, Basu and two accused public servants colluded to favor VISUL in the allocation. The accused have refuted these allegations.
