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The Special Court on Monday fined a Maharashtra-based company one crore rupees for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy in a case related to the allocation of Marki Mangli-Il, Ill and IV coal blocks in Yavatmal District, Maharashtra to the company. The Court also sentenced to different jail terms for its three former officer bearers.
The Special Judge Sanjay Bansal imposed a fine of rupees 1 Crore upon convicts in CBI vs M/s Topworth Urja and Metals Ltd. The court also ordered Manoj Maheshwari sentenced to undergo imprisonment for three years, convict Anil Kumar Saxena sentenced to undergo imprisonment for three years, and convict Anand Nand Kishore Sarda sentenced to undergo imprisonment for four years. He was taken into custody. Earlier on January 5, 2024, the court had convicted them under section 120B read with sections 417, 420, 468 and 471 IPC and fixed January 11 and January 12, 2024, for the arguments on the point of sentence. The court had convicted M/s Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd. (formerly known as M/s Shri Virangana Steels Ltd.), Anand Nandkishore Sarda, the then Director of M/s Shri Virangana Steels Ltd. (now M/s Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd.), Manoj Maheshwari, the former Director/CEO of M/s Shri Virangana Steels Ltd. (now M/s Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd.) and Anil Kumar Saxena, the then President of M/s Shri Virangana Steels Ltd. (now M/s Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd.). The accused persons were the office bearers of the company at the time the coal block was allocated Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd, earlier known as Shree Virangana Steels Ltd, and its former officer bearers, Anil Kumar Saxena, Manoj Maheshwari and Anand Nand Kishore Sarda, were put on trial for the offence of various offences punishable under Indian Penal Code During the course of the final arguments, it was submitted by Sanjay Kumar, Additional Legal Advisor of CBI, that the prosecution has successfully proved its case against the accused persons beyond reasonable doubts and therefore they may be convicted and punished as per law. The coal scam prosecution team was constituted by the Supreme Court of India in its order dated September 1, 2014. In 2020, the court discharged three people in connection with the coal block allocation case concerning Topworth Urja and Metals Limited (TUML). The Court had discharged TUML Director Surendra Lodha, its President Anil Nevatia, and Vice President SK Mittra in a coal block allocation case concerning Topworth Urja & Metals Limited (TUML). However, the Court had framed charges against the company TUML and three others--Anil Kumar Saxena, Manoj Maheshwari and Anand Nand Kishore Sarda--for their alleged role in the execution of mining leases pertaining to Marki-Mangli II, III and IV coal blocks in Yavatmal District, Maharashtra. TUML was formerly known as Shree Virangana Steels Ltd. According to the prosecution, Virangana Steels Ltd., along with its officers and directors, conspired to cheat the Ministry of Coal (MoC) with a view to procuring the allocation of captive coal mining blocks for its proposed 3 LTPA sponge iron plant, Captive Power Plant (CPP) and Steel Melt Shop and even succeeded in obtaining an allocation of three captive coal blocks, said the CBI. (ANI)
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