Coal linkage: IAS officer, businessman jailed for taking bribe

An IAS officer, who was working with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and a businessman related to him have been sentenced to varying jail terms of three and two years by a Delhi court for taking bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a firm to solve its issue relating to coal linkage.

Special CBI Judge Dharmesh Sharma awarded three years jail term to IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Jain, suspended director (anti-dumping) in the Department of Commerce in the ministry, and two years imprisonment to Kishore Jain under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy under the the IPC.

"This case is a stark example of nexus between businessmen and bureaucrats resulting in corrupt activities through the cult of middlemen specializing in public relation and public networking in our country," the court said.

It also imposed a fine of Rs two lakh and Rs one lakh on Rakesh and Kishore respectively. The court, however, suspended their sentence and granted them bail for filing an appeal against this order in the Delhi High Court.

According to the CBI, an FIR was registered on August 19, 2010 on the allegation that in February 2010, M/s Shivam Iron and Steel Company (SISCO) took over the ownership of M/s Laxmi Ispat Udyog and applied for approval of long standing coal linkage with Coal India Ltd in the name of M/s Laxmi Ispat Udyog for its transfer in the name of SISCO.

It said Binod Aggarwal, one of the directors of SISCO, came in contact with Kishore, a businessman in Delhi, and told him about his problem regarding transfer of coal linkage.

Kishore told Aggarwal that he had a relative, an IAS officer, who would help him in the matter and contacted Rakesh and also informed Aggarwal that he had acquaintance with Alok Perti, Additional Secretary in Ministry of Coal and he could get his work done through him, the CBI said.