Coal Scam: Special CBI court convicts Abhijeet Infra Pvt Ltd, two others

A special CBI court on Monday convicted Managing Director of Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and its former director Ramesh Kumar Jayaswal in a coal scam case related to the allocation of Brinda, Sisai, and Meral coal blocks in Jharkhand.

In its case registered in 2016, the CBI had alleged that the company obtained the coal blocks by misrepresenting its financial position, acquisition of land for its proposed end-use plant, and other related claims, a statement from the agency said.

Forged documents were used to secure the recommendation of the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, for the allocation of the coal blocks, the CBI said.

Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj convicted Nagpur-based Abhijeet Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (AIPL), its Managing Director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and former director Ramesh Kumar Jayaswal of cheating, criminal conspiracy and using forged documents as genuine. Their sentence will be pronounced later.

The four-year-long investigation showed that photocopies of fabricated documents related to the purchase of private land at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, procurement of machinery for the proposed end-use plant and financial tie-ups with banks were submitted to clinch the coal blocks.

"These forged documents were used to secure the recommendation of the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, for the allocation of the coal blocks. Based on this recommendation, the Ministry of Coal allocated the Brinda, Sisai and Meral coal blocks to Abhijeet Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd (now Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd) on June 25, 2005. The company thus defrauded the Ministry of Coal/public exchequer," the CBI Spokesperson said.

The judge noted that Manoj Kumar Jayaswal was controlling the affairs of the company when forged letters and documents were submitted to the ministry.

"It is he who got forged documents submitted (through Ramesh Kumar Jayaswal) to the Ministry of Steel.

"False information in these letters led to the recommendation of the Ministry of Steel in favour of M/s AIPL. On the basis of recommendations of the Ministry of Steel, the Screening Committee was also induced to believe false facts to be true and recommended allocation of Coal blocks in favour of the company," the judge held.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet on October 29, 2020, against the accused. During the trial, the prosecution had examined 38 witnesses and exhibited 74 documents.

The probe agency was represented by senior advocate R S Cheema and advocates Sanjay Kumar and Tarannum Cheema.

The CBI had registered the case on January 6, 2016, on the allegations that M/s AIPL, in conspiracy with public servants, fraudulently and dishonestly obtained the aforesaid coal blocks by misrepresenting its financial position, acquisition of land for its proposed end-use plant, and other related claims.