Court convicts Jharkhand Ispat, its two directors in coal scam

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday convicted Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and its two directors - R S Rungta and R C Rungta - in a case pertaining to irregularities in allotment of a coal block by the state to the company.

Judge Bharat Parashar held the company and its two directors guilty of the offences under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code. The court fixed March 31 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence for the accused.

This is the first coal block allocation scam case in which the special court, which was set up to exclusively deal with coal scams, has delivered its judgment. After a Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2012 alleged Rs 1.86 lakh crore windfall gain to companies, the CBI had started probe against allotment of coal blocks through the screening committee route.

Monday's order came in a case pertaining to irregularities in allocation of North Dhadu coal block, by the 27th and 30th screening committees jointly, to JIPL and three other firms - Electrosteel Castings Ltd, Adhunik Alloys & Power Ltd and Pawanjay Steel & Power Ltd.

JIPL runs a steel plant at Ramgarh in Jharkhand. R S Rungta had last year moved an application before a special court seeking to summon former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayana Rao as witnesses in his defence in the case. Singh was also the Cabinet minister for coal at the time of allocation of mine. The court, however, rejected the plea.

The court had on November 21 concluded recording of statements of accused in the case.

JIPL and the Rungtas were earlier put on trial by the court, which had framed charges against them for securing allotment of North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand allegedly on the basis of false and forged documents.

In its chargesheet, the CBI said JIPL "grossly misrepresented" a number of aspects before the steel and coal ministries to inflate their claim, thereby inducing coal ministry officials and the screening committee to allocate the coal block to them.

Earlier, the special court had fixed April 29 for pronouncing its order on framing of charges in another coal scam case in which the CBI had chargesheeted industrialist Naveen Jindal, Dasari Narayana Rao and 13 others.

RAKING OVER THE COALS
Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) produces high-grade sponge iron from its manufacturing facility at Ramgarh in Jharkhand. The group is promoted by Ram Chandra Rungta. JIPL, R C Rungta and his brother R S Rungta have been convicted on Monday for criminal conspiracy and cheating in the coal block allocation case

• 2013: CBI registers a case against JIPL and others pertaining to the joint allocation of North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand
• 2014: CBI files chargesheet against JIPL, R S Rungta, R C Rungta, Ramabatar Kedia & Naresh Mahto
• Dec 18, 2014: Court takes cognisance on CBI's chargesheet, issues summons for the five
• Jan 14, 2015: JIPL directors R S Rungta and R C Rungta granted bail by the court. CBI informs court that Ramabatar Kedia and Naresh Mahto have died
• March 9, 2015: Court orders framing of charges against JIPL, R C Rungta and R S Rungta for offences under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of IPC
• Nov 26, 2015: R S Rungta seeks to summon former PM Manmohan Singh and former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayana Rao as witnesses in his defence
• Dec 23, 2015: Court dismisses plea to call Singh and Dasari Rao as defence witnesses
• March 28, 2016: Court convicts JIPL, R S Rungta and R C Rungta of offences of criminal conspiracy and cheating
• March 31, 2016: Court to hear arguments on the quantum of the sentence in the case

During the arguments on framing of charges, the CBI alleged ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, also an accused in the case, had favoured two Jindal group firms - Jindal Steel & Power Ltd and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd - in the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.

The CBI also claimed the accused had conspired with each other to get the allocation of the coal block in favour of the two Jindal Group firms.