Court orders framing charges against ex-coal secy, five others

A special court today ordered framing of various charges including cheating and criminal conspiracy against former Coal Secretary H C Gupta, two public servants, private firm Vikash Metals and Power Ltd and its two officials in a coal blocks allocation scam case.
Special Judge Bharat Parashar fixed August 19 for formally framing of charges against the accused in the case in which the CBI's closure report was rejected by the court, asking the probe agency 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. In September 2012, the CBI had registered an FIR in the case.

Besides Gupta and the firm, the court ordered to put on trial public servants, ex-joint secretary in Ministry of Coal (MoC) K S Kropha, the then Director (CA-I) in MoC, K C Samria, firm's Managing Director Vikash Patni and its Authorised Signatory Anand Mallick.
The court said "prima facie" offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust by public servants under the IPC and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act are made out against the accused.
"Keeping in view the overall facts and circumstances of the case coupled with the submissions made, I am of the considered opinion that prima facie charge for the offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and for the offences under sections 120-B, 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants), 420 (cheating) of IPC and under sections 13(1)(c) and 13(1)(d) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the PC Act is made out against all the accused...," the judge said.