Coal Department’s Ex-Secretary Gets Two-Year Jail

A Special CBI Court in Delhi on Monday sentenced former Coal Secretary HC Gupta to two-year imprisonment along with two other coal ministry officials in a Madhya Pradesh coal block allocation case.

Two former Coal Ministry officials - K.S. Kropha and K.C. Samria - were also handed two-year jail terms in the case of allocation of Thesgora B/Rudrapuri coal block to Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL). The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on the former officials. KSSPL Managing Director Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia was slapped with three years in jail and a fine of Rs 30 lakh, and the company was directed to pay a fine of Rs 1 crore. Later, all convicts were granted bail on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1lakh and a surety of similar amount each to enable them to appeal to the High Court against their conviction.

On May 19, Central Bureau of Investigation special Judge Bharat Parashar held Gupta, Kropha, Samria, the accused firm KSSPL and Ahluwalia guilty of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI had accused the company and others of misrepresenting facts, including inflating net worth, to acquire the coal block. Gupta is facing trial in nine cases relating to the allocation of various coal blocks. It was the third judgment by the Special Court exclusively dealing with the coal block allocation cases. Over 20 other cases investigated by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are pending in court.

On April 4, 2016, the court awarded four-year jail terms to two directors of Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd. in a coal block allocation case. On July 27, 2016, the court awarded three-year jail terms to two senior officials of Delhi-based Rathi Steel and Power Ltd. in a coal block allocation case.