Nagpur/New Delhi: Vijay Joshi was convicted in coal scam case along with former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, former Coal Secretary Harish Chandra Gupta, ex- Jharkhand Chief Secretary A K Basu and another public servant. The Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Wednesday found all the accused guilty under criminal conspiracy and Section 120B. The court will declare the sentence on December 14.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar, however, acquitted VISUL (Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Limited) Director Vaibhav Tulsyan, public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh and Chartered Accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan of all charges.
The accused had been charged under the Indian Penal Code and two Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Arguments on the quantum of sentence for the four accused will take place at 2 p.m.on Thursday.
The VISUL was allocated a coal block in Rajhara in Jharkhand in an illegal manner.
The CBI alleged that neither the Jharkhand government nor the Steel Ministry had recommended VISUL’s application for allocation of a coal block, yet the 36th Screening Committee recommended the coal block in Rajhara to the firm.
The court had taken cognizance of the matter registered under the provisions of Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) 409 (criminal breach of trust by government employees) and Prevention of Corruption Act and then summoned them as accused.
During the cross-examination of this case, the CBI had said that the company had applied for the allocation of Rajhara North Coal Block on January 8, 2007. The CBI alleged that the Jharkhand Government and Steel Ministry had not recommended the allotment of coal blocks to VISUL, but the 36th Monitoring Committee (screening committee) had recommended allotment of the block to the accused company.
