A Delhi court today sentenced former coal secretary H.C.Gupta to 3-year imprisonment in a coal block allocation scam case which happened during the previous UPA regime at the Centre.
K.S.Kropha and K.C.Samria, two other bureaucrats were also awarded 3-year of jail term. The three bureaucrats were also fined Rs 50,000 each. They were later granted statutory bail as the jail term was below four years.
Special Judge Bharat Prasar sentenced other convicted persons Vikas Patni, MD of Vikash Metals and Power Limited (VMPL), and its authorized signatory Anand Mallick to 4 years jail term. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on Patni and Rs 2 lakh on Mallick. They were sent to jail. A fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on the company.
The case pertains to irregularities in the allocation of Moira and Madhujore (North and South) coal blocks in West Bengal to VMPL. In September 2012, the CBI registered an FIR in the case.
The court had on November 30 convicted Gupta, former joint secretary in Ministry of Coal Kropha and the then director in the ministry Samria. It had also convicted the firm, Patni and Mallick.
Gupta, who was the Coal Secretary from December 31, 2005, to November 2008, has already been convicted before this in two other cases of coal block allocation in which he had been sentenced to jail for two and three years respectively. He is out on bail in both the cases. The other two coal scam cases in which Gupta was earlier convicted related to Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL) and Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd(VISUL). Kropha and Samria were also convicted in KSSPL case.
The CBI has filed charge sheets in connection with alleged irregularities in 40 cases of coal block allocations during the UPA-1 and UPA-2 regime. On July 25, 2014, the Supreme Court had approved the appointment of Additional Sessions Judge Parashar as a special judge to exclusively deal with all coal scam cases. Till now the special court has decided six such cases.
In the present case, the court had on August 19, 2016, framed charges, including cheating and criminal conspiracy against Gupta, the two public servants, the firm and its two officials. They all had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. All the accused were out on bail.
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