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A special court in Delhi on Friday acquitted former Coal Ministry officials, H C Gupta (Secretary), K S Kropha (Joint Secretary), and K C Samaria (Coal Allocation Director), in a case related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of the Mahuagarhi coal block in Jharkhand to M/s Jas Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd (JICPL).
However, the court convicted the firm JICPL and its director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, holding them guilty under Section 120B read with Section 420 of the IPC, along with the substantive offence under Section 420. Special CBI Judge Sanjay Bansal delivered the judgment, with arguments on sentencing scheduled for July 8, 2025. According to the CBI, this marks the 19th conviction in coal scam cases. The case was registered following a Preliminary Enquiry initiated based on a reference from the Central Vigilance Commission, investigating alleged corruption within the Ministry of Coal concerning the allocation of coal blocks to private companies during 2006-09. The FIR alleged that JICPL and its director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, misrepresented and concealed facts in their application to obtain undue benefits in the allocation of the Mahuagarhi coal block. The Supreme Court closely monitored investigations into coal block allocations, and after taking cognisance of the matter, the trial court summoned the accused. During the proceedings, the CBI examined 18 witnesses and successfully proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt. (ANI)
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