Jharkhand ex-CM Koda, ex-coal secy convicted in scam

New Delhi, December 13
A special court today held former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and ex-Coal Secretary HC Gupta guilty of corruption and other charges in a coal scam case.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar held Koda, Gupta and other accused, including former Jharkhand Chief Secretary AK Basu and private company Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Limited (VISUL), guilty of varying offences, including criminal conspiracy, in the case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to the Kolkata-based VISUL.
The court will hear argument on the quantum of punishment tomorrow.
It, however, acquitted four persons — VISUL director Vaibhav Tulsyan, public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh and CA Navin Kumar Tulsyan — of all charges.
All were earlier summoned as accused after the court took 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 various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI said the firm had applied for allocation of Rajhara North coal block on January 8, 2007. It alleged that although the Jharkhand Government and the Steel Ministry did not recommend VISUL’s case, the 36th screening committee recommended the block to the accused firm.
The CBI said Gupta, who was the chairman of the committee, had allegedly concealed facts from then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who then headed the Coal Ministry too, that Jharkhand had not recommended VISUL for the allocation of a coal block.
Koda, Basu and two accused public servants conspired to favour VISUL in the coal block allocation, the investigation agency had alleged.