Coal scam: Sanction order to try govt servants filed in court

CBI today placed before a special court a central government order according sanction to prosecute two senior government officials for their alleged involvement in a coal block allocation scam case.
The sanction order pertains to the nod given by the competent authority to prosecute K S Kropha, former joint secretary in Ministry of Coal (MoC), and K C Samria, then Director (CA-I), MoC, in the case.
Along with the sanction order, the agency also filed a report on its further probe in the case allegedly involving Vikash Metal and Power Ltd (VMPL).
"Report of further investigation has been filed. The order according sanction to prosecute public servants K S Kropha and K C Samria has been received from the competent authority. Put up for consideration on February 5," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.

CBI had earlier told the court that records were sent to the competent authority in August last year for considering sanction to prosecute Kropha and Samria.
The court had on August 5 last year directed the CBI to conduct further probe in the case, saying prima facie "active collusion" was found on part of the public servants for not verifying the claims made by the firm.

The court's order had come in the case in which CBI had filed a supplementary final report on April 7 last year after it had refused to accept the agency's closure report and directed it to further investigate the matter.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Moira and Madhujore (North and South) coal blocks in West Bengal to VMPL.
Regarding then Coal Secretary H C Gupta, CBI had said that lapses in processing the application were found on his part too, but since he had retired, no action was being recommended.
The case involved VMPL and its officials in which they were accused of making false claims relating to land allocation to allegedly get undue advantage in coal block allocation. The FIR in the case was registered in September 2012.