NEW DELHI: A Delhi court acquitted six accused, including a former coal secretary and two other public servants, in a case related to the alleged coal scam involving the allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha, on Wednesday. The court ruled that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused made any misrepresentations.
The judge noted that no case of cheating had been established, as no one had been induced to act improperly.
Special Judge Sanjay Bansal also acquitted Navabharat Power Private Limited (NPPL), its then-Chairman P Trivikrama Prasad, former Managing Director (MD) Y Harish Chandra Prasad, ex-joint secretary in the coal ministry K S Kropha, K C Samaria, and the former director in the ministry’s coal allocation section.
The case concerned the allocation of coal blocks in Odisha’s Rampia and Dip Side of Rampia, and Mandakini to NPPL between 2006 and 2008, allegedly based on false claims regarding the company’s financial strength, net worth, and land holdings.
According to CBI, between 2006 and 2008, the company, along with Y Harish Chandra Prasad, P Trivikrama Prasad, and other officials including Gupta, Kropha, and Samaria, conspired to deceive the Ministry of Coal (MoC) by making false claims about the company’s net worth and land ownership, which led to the allocation of the coal blocks in the company’s favor.
The agency stated that the company made fraudulent representations through Y Harish Chandra Prasad, with authorization from Chairman P Trivikrama Prasad, to secure the coal blocks in Odisha.
The court, however, ruled that no case of cheating had been proven since the application was found to be complete, NPPL was eligible for allocation, and no misrepresentations were made. The judge concluded that the prosecution failed to establish any conspiracy.
Regarding the charge of criminal breach of trust under Section 405 of the IPC against the public servants, the court stated it could not be substantiated.
“All the accused are hereby acquitted of all the charges,” the court concluded.
