Ahead of a Supreme Court hearing tomorrow, CBI today filed its second charge sheet in the coal scam before a Delhi court naming Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, Nagpur-based AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd and others as accused for fraudulently acquiring coal blocks.
According to the CBI sources, the accused, including Darda and his son Devendra, were chargesheeted for the offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) of the IPC and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI, in its FIR, had arrayed AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd, its directors Arvind Kumar Jayaswal, Manoj Jayaswal, Ramesh Jayaswal and Devendra Darda, son of Vijay Darda, alongwith unknown public servants of Coal Ministy and other unknown persons as accused in the case.
Regarding AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd, the CBI had said in its FIR that the firm, in its application form for allocation of coal blocks, had “fraudulently” concealed the fact that its group companies had previously been allocated five coal blocks.
Detailing the allocation of coal blocks to AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd, the agency had said the Ministry of Coal had invited applications for allocation of coal blocks, including Bander coal block in Maharashtra having geological reserve of 126.105 million metric tonnes (MMT).
The CBI had said the 36th Screening Committee, which is headed by coal secretary, after concluding its deliberations on July 3, 2008, recommended allocation of Bander Coal Block jointly to J K Cement Ltd, M/s Century Textiles and Industries Ltd and AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd for their proposed plants in Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively.
The chargesheet was filed a day before the CBI would be informing the Supreme Court about the status of its investigations into the five cases registered by the agency in 2012.
The FIR had said, “The enquiry revealed that AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd had misrepresented/concealed facts in its application form in order to qualify and obtain wrongful gains/undue benefits in connivance with unknown public servants.”
It had added, “The group companies of AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd had previously been allocated five coal blocks as on the date of application. However, the company fraudulently and wilfully concealed the fact of previous allocations to the group companies with an object to avoid scrutiny on this count which would have weakened its claim.”
It had said representatives of AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd had attended a meeting on September 18, 2008 with Minister of State for Coal in his chamber and they claimed that it was not a part of the Jayaswal Group, but its equity was held by the Lokmat Group, M/s Abhijeet Infrastructure Ltd and IL&FS.
The company representatives also admitted in the meeting that it was allocated five coal blocks earlier, the CBI had said.
“These facts regarding earlier allocation of coal blocks... and the equity participation by IL&FS and Lokmat Group were concealed/misrepresented by AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd in its application/feedback form,” it had said.
CBI had said despite taking note of earlier allocations to the AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd group firms, the Union Coal Ministry officials “wilfully did not take the enquiry to its logical conclusion.”
Agency sources said that the agency may be filing a closure report in two of the cases while seeking more time for filing chargesheet in another two cases.
