Coal block case: Court order on charges against RSPL on May 19

A special court on Thursday fixed May 19 to deliver its order on the issue of framing of charges in a coal block allocation case against Delhi-based Rathi Steel and Power Ltd. (RSPL) and others.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar fixed the date for delivering the order in the case in which RSPL's CEO Udit Rathi, managing director Pradeep Rathi, and assistant general manager Kushal Aggarwal are facing trial. All three are out on bail.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has chargesheeted the company and its CEO for criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The court, while summoning them, said: "It is prima facie clear that Pradeep, Udit and Aggarwal, who all appeared before the screening committee for making presentation and submitting a feedback form on February 7, 2008 on behalf of RSPL, conspired together....

"....to submit a highly inflated claim about the actual land in its possession with a view to cheat the concerned MOC (ministry of coal) authorities who were having dominion over the nationalised natural resources of the country i.e. coal."

The CBI registered an FIR against the company and its CEO on June 19, 2013.