Court order April 29 on charges in coal block case against Jindal

A court here on Friday fixed April 29 for delivering its order on the framing charges in coal block case allegedly involving Jindal Group's firms.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar, who was scheduled to pass an order on Friday, adjourned the order on issue of framing of charges in the case for April 29, saying that order is not ready till now as he needs more time to go through files.

Former parliamentarian, industrialist and senior congress leader Naveen Jindal, former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao and former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda with others were charge sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case related to the allocation of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.

The probe agency has said there was sufficient evidence to frame charges against the accused in the case.

However, Jindal, Rao, Koda and others have denied the allegation against them and sought being discharged from the case.

The CBI in April last year filed a charge sheet against Jindal, Koda, Rao, former coal secreatry H.C. Gupta with six other individuals -- New Delhi Exim director Suresh Singhal, Jindal Realty director Rajeev Jain, Gagan Sponge directors Girish Kumar Juneja and R.K. Saraf, Sowbhagya Media's managing director K. Ramakrishna and chartered accountant Gyan Swaroop Garg.

Five private companies -- four based in Delhi and one in Hyderabad -- have also been named in the charge sheet.

The companies are Jindal Steel and Power Ltd., Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. Ltd., Jindal Reality Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi Exim Pvt. Ltd. and Sowbhagya Media Ltd.

The CBI has formally charged them with criminal conspiracy, cheating and various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.