Have govt sanction to prosecute 2 public servants: CBI to Court

Government has given sanction to prosecute two senior public servants for alleged offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act in two separates coal block allocation scam cases, CBI today told a Special Court.

The agency said that they have received the sanction order from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to prosecute K S Kropha, the then Joint Secretary of Ministry of Coal, and K C Samria, who was the then Director (Coal Allocation-I section) in the Ministry of Coal.

Senior Public Prosecutor A K Singh said the request for according sanction to prosecute these senior public servants was sent to DoPT in pursuance to court's earlier order in two separate cases pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of separate coal blocks to Navbharat Power Pvt Ltd (NPPL) and Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL).

"It has been submitted by the investigating officer that pursuant to the order of this court and the consequent request made by CBI to the competent authority for considering according of sanction to prosecute K S Kropha and K C Samria has been accepted and government has accorded the necessary sanction," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar noted.

In the case involving KSSPL, Senior Public Prosecutor V K Sharma told the court that they received the sanction order from DoPT yesterday itself.

The court, after going through the sanction order placed by CBI in both the cases, fixed the matter for July 28 for order on cognisance.

The two separate cases pertain to alleged irregularities in allocation of coal block in Rampia in Odisha to NPPL and allocation of Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to KSSPL.