Koda, ex-coal secy guilty in coal scam

NEW DELHI: A special court on Wednesday held former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, former coal secretary HC Gupta and two others guilty of corruption and other charges in a coal scam case.

This is the fourth conviction in as many as 30 cases of coal block allocation scam being decided by the court.

The present case pertains to irregularities in allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to a Kolkata-based company in 2007. Besides Koda and Gupta, two others who have been held guilty are former Jharkhand chief secretary AK Basu and the allottee firm Vini Iron & Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL).

All were earlier summoned as accused after the court had taken cognisance of alleged 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, 1988. Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said he will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. The court, however, acquitted four people – VISUL director Vaibhav Tulsyan, public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh, and chartered accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan – of all charges.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Koda in 2014. He was the chief minister of Jharkhand between 2006 and 2008.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that although the Jharkhand government and steel ministry did not recommend VISUL’S case for allocation, the 36th screening committee, whose chairman was Gupta, had recommended the block to the accused firm.

The trial and probe in scam cases began over allegations of widespread irregularities in the allotment of coal blocks. In September 2014, the Supreme Court cancelled 214 coal blocks allotted between 1993 and 2012.