New Delhi: A special court fixed September 28 for hearing a coal scam case pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of Mahuagarhi coal block in Jharkhand to accused firm M/s Jas Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd (JICPL). The court asked the CBI's investigating officer (IO) to supply all the documents to the accused, including former Coal Secretary H C Gupta, before the next date of hearing. After the IO said he had supplied the documents, Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said "documents have been supplied do the accused. Put up for scrutiny of documents on September 28." He however asked the IO to ensure that proper and legible documents were provided to the accused.
The court had earlier granted bail to Gupta, two senior public servants K S Kropha and K C Samria and businessman Director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal in the case. The court had on July 31 issued summons to these accused after taking cognisance of CBI's final report for the alleged offences punishable under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating) of IPC and under relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. The court had earlier refused to accept the CBI's closure report filed in the case and had directed it to further investigate the matter.
It had earlier noted that it was prima facie clear that officers of Ministry of Coal or the screening committee had acted in a manner which was "detrimental" to public interest and they allowed JAS Infrastructure and Power Ltd, now known as JICPL, to "misappropriate" nationalised natural resources. The agency had filed a closure report in the case in which it had lodged an FIR against Jas Infrastructure and Power Ltd, Manoj Jayaswal and others for alleged irregularities by the firm in acquiring coal block. The FIR was lodged on the allegation that the company had not disclosed to the Ministry of Coal that it was already in possession of coal block.
