A special court on Saturday sentenced former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and ex-coal secretary HC Gupta to three years imprisonment in a coal scam.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Ex-Jharkhand chief secretary AK Basu and Madhu Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi were also awarded 3-year jail term.

The court imposed fine of Rs 25 lakh on Madhu Koda and Rs one lakh on HC Gupta, and also convicted  Kolkata-based company, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd

However, the court granted statutory bail for two months to convicts to enable them to challenge the conviction in the high court.

 

The court had held Koda and other accused persons, including ex-Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu and private company Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd ( VISUL) guilty of corruption and other charges.

The court had, however, acquitted four persons VISUL's Director Vaibhav Tulsyan and two public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh and chartered accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan of all charges.

 

The CBI alleged that the firm had applied for allocation of Rajhara North coal block on January 8, 2007.

It said although the Jharkhand government and Steel Ministry did not recommend VISUL's case for coal block allocation, the 36th Screening Committee recommended the block to the accused firm.

The CBI said that Gupta, who was chairman of the screening 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 allocation of a coal block.