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Coal Scam: CBI Court Holds Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda Guilty; Sentencing Tomorrow
Former Jharkhand chief secretary Ashok Kumar Basu and one other person guilty of criminal conspiracy and under Section 120 B-- four people have been acquitted.
New Delhi, Dec 13: A special CBI court on Wednesday held former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda guilty in a coal scam case. Apart from him, the court also pronounced former coal secretary HC Gupta, former Jharkhand chief secretary Ashok Kumar Basu and a company guilty of criminal conspiracy under Section 120 B. Four people have been acquitted. The sentencing of the convicts will take place on Thursday.
Special CBI judge Bharat Parashar had told the accused earlier to be present on the date of judgment. They were accused of corruption after irregularities emerged in the allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to a Kolkata-based company, named Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL).
The other accused included AK Basu, public servants– Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh and VISUL’s Director Vaibhav Tulsyan. Koda’s aide Vijay Joshi and chartered accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan were also accused in the case. All four have been acquitted.
They were booked under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI had alleged that the Jharkhand government and the steel ministry had not recommended the company for the coal block, but the screening committee granted the block to VISUL.
In September, the Election Commission had barred Madhu Koda from contesting election for three years. Madhu Koda was disqualified from contesting election after the panel found discrepancies in his poll expenses affidavit. He was accused of furnishing false election expenditure records after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
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