Coal scam: Naveen Jindal, 14 others summoned as accused

Industrialist Naveen Jindal and 14 others were today summoned as accused in a coal blocks allocation scam case by a special court which observed that the Congress leader had prima facie "manipulated entire government machinery" to procure undue allotment in Jharkhand.
Besides Jindal, the court also summoned as accused former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao, ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, ex-Coal Secretary Harish Chandra Gupta and others, including five companies, asking them to appear before it on May 22 after taking cognisance of CBI's charge sheet filed against them.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar observed that the charge sheet filed by the agency prima facie showed that Jindal had played a "pivotal role" in the conspiracy to procure allotment of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in favour of his two group firms, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd (GSIPL).

"Similarly, it is also prima facie clear that Naveen Jindal being the promoter of M/s JSPL and M/s GSIPL manipulated the entire government machinery both in the state of Jharkhand and in MOC (Ministry of Coal) so as to procure undue allotment of entire 'Amarkonda Murgadangal Coal Block' in the name of its two group companies," the court said.
"The final report prima facie shows the pivotal role played by him (Jindal) in the criminal conspiracy so as to procure allotment of impugned coal block in favour of its two companies i.E. M/s JSPL and M/s GSIPL," the court said in its 34-page order.

The court said prima facie offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating) of the IPC read with section 13(1)(c) and 13(1)(d) (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act were made out against all the 15 accused.
Section 409 of IPC entails life imprisonment as maximum punishment.