Coal Scam Case

A special CBI court on Wednesday awarded separate jail terms to the senior officials of Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd in an alleged case of irregularities related to the allocation of three coal blocks in Jharkhand. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj handed out a four-year jail term to the company's then managing director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and a three-year imprisonment to then director Ramesh Kumar Jayaswal. A fine of Rs 30 lakh was imposed on the Nagpur-based company in the case related to irregularities in the allocation of Brinda, Sisai, and Meral coal blocks in the state. The court on December 9 held that forged documents were used by the convicts to secure the recommendation of the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, for the allocation of the coal blocks. The judge on Wednesday passed the order on sentence for the offence of cheating, criminal conspiracy and using forged documents as genuine. "Manoj Kumar Jayaswal is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for four years for

he judge held the CBI had failed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that any "misrepresentation" was made by the accused

The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea by former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda seeking to stay his conviction in a coal scam case. Koda had sought a stay on his conviction to enable him to contest upcoming assembly elections in the state. "Application dismissed," said Justice Neena Bansal Krishna. Koda, former coal secretary H C Gupta, former Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu, and Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi were awarded three-year jail terms by a trial court for indulging in corrupt practices and hatching a criminal conspiracy in the allocation of Rajhara North Coal Block in the state to Kolkata-based company, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL). It had also imposed fines of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 lakh on VISUL, Koda and Gupta respectively in the UPA-era coal scam. A Rs 1 lakh fine was also imposed on Basu. The convicts were granted bail during the pendency of their appeals.

A Delhi court on Monday awarded jail terms to four persons accused in a case related to the alleged scam in allocation of two coal blocks in Jharkhand. Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj awarded a three-year jail term to Rungta Project Ltd's former managing director R S Rungta, Sanjay Rungta and T M Achyutan, and a two-year jail term to Shambhu Nath. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the company and R S Rungta each, while Sanjay Rungta and Achuthan were directed to pay a fine of Rs 40 lakh each. The judge further directed Nath to pay a fine of Rs 20 lakh. The case relates to the allocation of Hutar Sector C and Hurilong coal blocks situated in Jharkhand during the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. The CBI alleged that false information in respect of capacity, land and the likes was given to the Ministry of Coal. The probe agency was represented by advocates Narender Pratap Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar, A P Singh, and Tarannum Cheema.

Sanjeev Kumar Aggarwal and the company had been accused of criminal conspiracy and cheating in the allocation of Sayang coal block in Chhattisgarh in 2007

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has written to a private bank seeking transaction details of West Bengal law minister Moloy Ghatak and his family members in connection with the agency's probe into the multi-crore coal scam, an officer said on Friday. The agency has asked the bank to send the details by December 13, he said. "We need to check the banking transactions of Ghatak and his family members. We have sent letters to the bank and asked them to reply and hand over the documents by December 13," he added. Ghatak, who has been skipping CBI summons, could not be reached as calls to his numbers went unanswered.

The summons to the TMC MP came weeks after the central probe agency conducted raids in the office of 'Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd'

The CBI has sought before a Delhi court seven-year jail term for a former official of the Ministry of Steel, who has been convicted in a case related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh. The central probe agency on Saturday urged Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj to hand over maximum punishment of seven years to Gautam Kumar Basak, former executive secretary, JPC (Joint Plant Committee), Ministry of Steel. The CBI told the court that the convict did not deserve any leniency, claiming he had committed a very serious offence. The judge will pronounce the sentence in the matter on August 22. In the 14th conviction in the coal scam, the judge on August 18 held Basak guilty of corruption in the allocation of Vijay Central Coal Block. According to the prosecution, an allegation was made against Prakash Industries Ltd., which had applied for the coal block in January 2007, that it had furnished false information about its capacity. The ministry had dire

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Monday conducted raids at over a dozen locations in Chhattisgarh including at premises linked to state Congress leaders as part of an ongoing probe into the alleged coal levy scam, officials said. The raids that were underway over 12 hours after they were launched early this morning come days before the start of the three-day plenary session of the Congress party which is in power in the state. The three-day session begins on February 24 in Raipur. The Congress and state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel cried foul over the raids calling it "vendetta politics" by the Centre, a charge rejected by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Congress also raised questions over the timing of the raids. The Congress described the searches as an example of "third-rate politics" of "vendetta, vengeance and harassment", and asserted that the party will not be intimidated by such "tactics". Hitting back, Sitharaman said the Congress should not speak on corruption

After a seven-hour long grilling by ED officials, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday dared Union Home Minister Amit Shah to prove charges of wrongdoing in an alleged case of coal pilferage and to put him behind bars. The Trinamool Congress MP, considered number 2 in the party, also advised Shah to teach nationalism to his son and make sure that the law and order situation improves in Delhi. "If needed, I am ready to face questioning 30 times, but will not bow my head before the BJP. I have attacked his (Amit Shah's) son over the national flag issue but that does not mean the ED and CBI can be used to threaten me, he told reporters. Video footage of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, son of the Union home minister, appearing to turn down an offer to wave the national flag after India beat Pakistan in an Asia Cup match in Dubai on August 28 has sparked a controversy. Banerjee wondered why the top BJP leader who "teaches patriotism to the entire country has failed to educate his son". The

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned a high-profile minister of West Bengal and a legislator of the ruling Trinamool Congress in connection with the coal smuggling case in the state

CBI arrested seven officials, including a serving general manager of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), in connection with the coal smuggling scam in West Bengal

ED, which is conducting a parallel probe along with CBI in the coal smuggling case in West Bengal, has summoned Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of TMC's national general secretary, MP Abhishek Banerjee

West Bengal Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against several Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers including the one who is heading the central probe agency's probe in the coal smuggling case

The CBI interrogated TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira at their south Kolkata residence in connection with the coal pilferage scam, a senior officer said

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) wants to question Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of TMC MP, Abhishek Banerjee in the multi- crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal

A CBI special court here on Tuesday convicted five persons in connection with a coal scam case related to Lalgarh (North) coal block allocated during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003

The SC will hear a plea challenging the Calcutta HC's order which allowed the CBI to investigate a case of alleged illegal mining and transportation of coal in West Bengal, without the State's consent

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday summoned Kolkata based businessman Randhir Barnwal in connection with the coal scam case

The ED has attached properties to the tune of Rs 1.2 crore of Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited (JIPL) in a coal block case