ED files charge sheets in seven coal scam cases

The enforcement directorate (ED) has filed in a Delhi court charge sheets in seven coal scam cases, accusing multiple firms and individuals of money laundering.

The charge sheets filed before Special Judge Bharat Parashar, named Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL), Gondwana Ispat Ltd (GIL), Jayaswal Neco Industries Ltd (JNIL), B S Ispat Ltd (BSIL), Prakash Industries Ltd (PIL), Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and Pawanjay Steel and Power Ltd (PSPL) as accused.

The court has now put up the charge sheets, filed through the ED's special public prosecutor N K Matta and advocate Tarannum Cheema under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for consideration and further action on August 18.

The agency has attached various properties of the firms and individuals accused in the case.

Besides the firms, the agency has also named various individuals as accused in these cases, including GIL director Ashok Daga, KSSPL managing director (MD) Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia, PIL top official Prakash Aggarwal, JIPL directors R C Rungta and R S Rungta, and JNIL top officials Ramesh Kumar Jaiswal, Manoj Jaiswal and Arvind Jaiswal.

While the case involving GIL relates to the Majra coal block allocation in Maharashtra, KSSPL relates to the allocation of the Thesgora-B/Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh.

In both the cases, the court has already held both the firms and their officials -- GIL director Daga and KSSPL MD Ahluwalia -- and former coal secretary H C Gupta and two serving senior officials -- then joint secretary K S Kropha and then director K C Samaria in the Coal Ministry -- guilty of various offences and awarded them varying fines and jail terms respectively.

The offences include cheating, criminal conspiracy and corruption. The JIPL case was related to the allocation of the North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand.

The firm and its two directors were earlier held guilty by the court in a case registered by the CBI related to the present case and both the officials, R C Rungta and R S Rungta, were awarded jail terms for four years.

The case involving JNIL relates to the allocation of the Gare Palma-sub block IV/4 coal block in Chhattisgarh and that of Nagpur-based BSIL to the allocation of the Marki Mangli-I coal block.

The case involving PIL involves the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh's Fatehpur.