Ex-coal secy gets 3-yr jail term, IAS body to back legal challenge

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday sentenced former coal secretary HC Gupta and two other government officials to three years’ imprisonment and awarded four-year jail terms to two company executives after finding all five guilty of wrongdoing in coal block allocations under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

After the sentences were pronounced, the IAS Officers Association said it has initiated steps to raise funds to provide legal assistance to the convicted civil servants. “Conviction of honest IAS officers in Coal Scam is most unfortunate. A black letter day for bureaucracy – Convicting officers for bona fide decisions in the interest of administration. We stand by the officers in this time of distress. #HCGupta,” the association tweeted.

Special judge Bharat Parashar also imposed a fine of ~50,000 on Gupta and the two other government officials – KS Kropha and KC Samria. He also levied a fine of ~25 lakh on Vikash Patni, managing director of Vikash Metals and Power Limited (VMPL), and ~2 lakh on Anand Mallick, the authorised signatory of the company. The court also imposed a fine of ~50,000 on VMPL for its role in the allocations. The three former bureaucrats were granted bail on a personal bond of ~1 lakh and a surety of an equal amount.

The court also suspended their sentence for 60 days to allow them to file appeals against their conviction and sentence in the high court. The two executives of VMPL were sent to judicial custody and they could apply for bail in the HC.

On November 30, the court convicted the five of committing irregularities in the allocation of the Moira and Madhujore (North and South) coal blocks in West Bengal to VMPL. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a first information report (FIR) pertaining to the allocations in September 2012.