Coal scam case: IAS officers feel betrayed by H C Gupta conviction

They feel coal and 2G scams show how they've been scapegoats while political masters walk free

The conviction of former coal ministry secretary Harish Chandra Gupta in one of the so called “coal scam” cases makes it the first among them where a government employee has been successfully prosecuted -- that too a secretary-level officer. Along with him, former joint secretary in the ministry, K C Kropha, and the then director, K C Samaria have also been convicted. It has also become a test case to decide to what extent a government officer should take the rap for taking decisions on competing commercial interests.

From the list of 204 coal mines or blocks allocated by the