Ex- Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda sentenced for 3 years in coal block scam

NEW DELHI: A special CBI court in Delhi has awarded three-year imprisonment to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, ex-coal secretary H C Gupta and two others in a coal block allocation scam.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar pronounced a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the errant company Kolkata-based firm Vini Iron & Steel udyog Ltd. Along with the rigorous imprisonment, Koda has been fined Rs 5 lakh and Gupta for Rs 1,00,000 or 2 months.

A fine of Rs 45 lakh has been imposed on Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi, and Rs 1,00,000 on ex-Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu.

The court had on Wednesday convicted the four in a case pertaining to irregularities in allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to Vini Iron & Steel Udyog Ltd. The court pronounced them guilty of criminal conspiracy and cheating pertaining to irregularities in allocation of the block.

The block was allocated by the 36th screening committee to the company though the Jharkhand government and steel ministry did not recommend. Gupta, who was chairman of the screening committee, had allegedly concealed facts from the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who held the coal portfolio.

The special court had in May this year sentenced Gupta and two other bureaucrats to two years in jail for causing loss to the country by the arbitrary allocation. The other bureaucrats are then joint secretary K S Kropha and then director K C Samaria. The three public servants were also fined Rs 1 lakh each.