Coal blocks' allocation: Former Coal Secretary H.P. Gupta gets bail in another case

Former Union Coal Secretary H.C. Gupta, facing trial in some 10 cases relating to the allocation of coal blocks, was on Tuesday was granted bail in another case by a court here.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar granted bail to Gupta, senior government servant K.S. Kropha, SIPL Directors Anil Gupta and Deepak Gupta, and three others -- Amit Singh, Rakesh Singh and Jagan Nath Panda.

"Keeping in view the over all facts and circumstances of the case coupled with the submissions made and the fact that the accused persons were not arrested during the course of investigation and there are also no allegations that they did not join the investigation, I am of the considered opinion that the interest of justice will be suitably met if the accused persons are ordered to be released on bail," the court said.

The court also directed that the accused shall not leave India without prior permission.

It also directed that the accused shall not tamper with the documents or prosecution evidence or approach the prosecution witnesses in any manner.

The court directed them to furnish a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and a surety of like amount each and listed the matter for March 23 for further hearing.

Gupta is the only one facing trial in such a large number of cases relating to the allocation of coal blocks. The others, including politicians and bureaucrats, are facing trial only in a handful of cases.

On August 16 2016, Gupta broke down inside the court and sought to withdraw his bail pleas as he intended to face trial from jail since he was going through financial difficulties. The court asked the former officer to rethink his plea and thereafter, Gupta withdrew his application.

The accused appeared before the court on Tuesday in pursuance of summons issued against them.

The court was hearing a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of Chhattisgarh's Fatehpur Coal Block to SIPL.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charge-sheeted them, alleging they had hatched a criminal conspiracy to cheat the screening committee and misrepresented various facts to obtain a coal block.

SIPL had won the contract of Fatehpur coal block in 2008.

A first information report in the matter was lodged in 2014.

--IANS

akk/vm