Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, former Coal Secretary Harish Chandra Gupta,ex- Jharkhand Chief Secretary A K Basu and another public servant were on Wednesday found guilty by a court in New Delhi of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption in a coal block allocation case.
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.
