The Central Bureau of Investigation has quizzed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda in connection with the allocation of coal blocks to two companies associated with Naveen Jindal, Congress MP and director of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL).
The agency is probing to ascertain whether the then Jharkhand Government led by Mr. Koda had any role to play in the allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block at Birbhum in Jharkhand to JSPL and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Limited. Mr. Jindal is a stakeholder in Gagan Sponge.
The CBI had, last June, registered a case against Mr. Jindal and former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayana Rao, besides unknown public servants and members of the screening committee, accusing them of entering into a conspiracy to obtain the coal block for his companies on false representations.
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The two companies were allocated the coal blocks a year after they applied for the same in January 2007. According to the CBI, investigations revealed that JSPL and Gagan Sponge purportedly made false representations and concealed facts about previous allotment of coal blocks, to meet the criteria.
For their part, the accused have refuted the allegations.