New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and some public servants conspired to favour Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd. in the allocation of a coal block, the CBI told a special court Wednesday while opposing the bail application of the accused.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told special Judge Bharat Parashar that Koda, former Jharkhand chief secretary Ashok Kumar Basu, ex-coal secretary Harish Chandra Gupta and others conspired to favour Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL) in allocation of the Rajhara coal block.
The CBI added that Gupta misled then prime minister Manmohan Singh saying that the recommendation was based on merit.
The agency requested the court not to grant them bail and instead put them in jail.
However, Koda and the others requested the court to grant them bail as they have co-operated during the investigation of the case.
The accused said they will appear in the court on every date fixed for hearing.
After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its order order on the bail application and said that it will be delivered at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
All the accused appeared in the court in pursuance of summons issued against them. The other accused who were issued summons are Vini Iron and Steel director Vaibhav Tulsyan, Chartered Accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan, two government officials - Basant Kumar Bhatacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh - and the alleged middleman Vijay Joshi.
They were chargesheeted on various charges like cheating and criminal conspiracy, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The probe agency had also named Kolkata-based company VISUL as an accused in the case in a chargesheet filed in December last year.
The case involves allocation of coal blocks to Vini Iron and Steel in Jharkhand's Rajhara town in which its directors and unknown public servants of the coal ministry, the Jharkhand government and others were named as accused in the first information report lodged in September 2012.
It said the company was not recommended by either the union steel ministry or the Jharkhand government. However, the then Jharkhand chief secretary, who had attended the 36th screening committee meeting July 3, 2008, had signed its minutes recommending the allocation to the firm.
The CBI said the company had fraudulently claimed an inflated net worth and its ownership too had changed hands ahead of the 36th screening committee meeting.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's reality show 'Lockup' is making headlines these days. In this
Kazan Khan : Malayalam's 'dreaded villain' Kazan Khan died of a heart attack
In the last few days, many stars of the South Film Industry were engulfed in death. Recently, the
Metro services on Holi from 2.30 p.m.
New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) Delhi Metro services on Holi wil
Efforts are on to rescue those trapped in the tunnel after the disaster in Tapovan in Chamoli dis
The National Testing Agency is scheduled to close the application window for CUET UG today, April
Labourers in Gurgaon demand compensation for deceased colleague
Gurgaon, March 19 (IANS) For the second successive day, a large group of labourers protested ou
India-China tension: Why did India not get the intelligence of Chinese preparations?
India's former military intelligence chief General (retd) Amarjit Bedi says that India should rev
Impact of Corona: World Bank fears severe economic crisis from 2007-09 recession
Regarding the economic crisis caused by the Corona virus epidemic, the World Bank said that the e
Modi awards Himachal for Promoting Renewable Energy
New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday honoured Himachal Pradesh for its
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central
