Coal scam: Court to consider supplementary charge sheet on Sep

A Delhi court today fixed September 17 for considering a supplementary charge sheet filed in a coal block allocation scam case involving two officials of a Union steel ministry panel, a private firm and its director.
Special CBI judge Bharat Parashar, who is exclusively dealing with coal blocks cases, said the court would also hear arguments on framing of substantive charge of criminal conspiracy against the accused, who have already been put on trial for the offences of forgery, cheating and corruption.
"Put up for consideration on supplementary charge sheet and arguments on framing of substantive charge punishable under Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and amendment of charge, if any, on September 17," the court said.

While going through the record of the case which has been transferred to the special court, the judge said prima facie charge of conspiracy is also made out against the accused and he would hear arguments on this aspect also.
Earlier, the court had framed charges of cheating, forgery and corruption against Executive Secretary Goutam Kumar Basak and Manager (F&A) Soumen Chatterjee of the ministry's Joint Plant Committee (JPC) for allegedly giving misleading report on production capacity of Chhattisgarh-based firm Prakash Industries Ltd (PIL).
JPC was set up in 1964 by the government for formulating guidelines for production, allocation and pricing of iron and steel and is the only institution which is officially empowered by the Ministry of Steel to collect data on iron and steel industry.

Besides these two accused, the court also found prima facie evidence to frame charges against PIL and its Director (Corporate Affairs) A K Chaturvedi.
The CBI had earlier filed the supplementary charge sheet in case on the aspect of diversion of coal.