Coal case: HC grants interim bail to JIPL directors

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim bail, till July 31, to Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd. directors R.S. Rungta and R.C. Rungta, who had been convicted and sentenced to four year jail term in a coal block allocation case.

Justice Siddharth Mridul granted bail to the duo on a personal bond of Rs.10 lakh each with two sureties of the like amount.

The court i its order said: "The sentence awarded to the appellants (Rungtas) by the trial court by way of judgement and order on sentence dated March 28 and April 4 respectively, impugned in the appeals, is suspended and they shall be released on interim bail till July 31."

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not oppose the interim bail to the directors - R.S. Rungta, 79 and R.C. Rungta, 60.

In the first sentencing in a coal block allocation case, a trial court on April 4 had sent the duo to jail for four years for the offence of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code in bagging a coal block.

Sending them to jail, the trial court had said that "white collar criminals are more dangerous" to society".

The court had also said that they had "fraudulently" and with a "dishonest intention" deceived the government in allocating the North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand to the firm.

--IANS

gt/vd