Trial begins in coal block case against JIPL

A court here on Wednesday began trial in the coal block allocation case involving Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and others with recording the statement of a bank official who was part of a search team that conducted a raid in one of the accused's house.

Testifying as a prosecution witness in the case, bank official P.K. Mishra, who is now a branch manager of Punjab National Bank at Odisha, told Special Judge Bharat Parashar that he was the part of the probe agency team which conducted search in the house of accused and JIPL director R.S. Rungta.

Mishra identified Rungta in the court room and said he with other three people, including two investigating officials, have went the accused's residence in Ranchi on March 11, 2013.

A search was conducted in his house and some documents related to coal block allocation were recovered, Mishra deposed.

After carrying out the search, a report was prepared by CBI officers which was signed by him, Mishra said.

The trial will be continued on Thursday.

The case pertains to allocation of North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand to JIPL.

In its charge sheet, the CBI has alleged that JIPL had "grossly misrepresented" a number of aspects before the ministries of steel and coal to inflate their claim, and thereby induced the coal ministry officers and the screening committee to allocate the coal block to them.

The court has framed charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating and using a forged document as genuine against the company JIPL, and its two directors R.C. Rungta and R.S. Rungta in the case. Both the directors are out on bail.