Coal scam: CBI names Monnet Ispat and Energy, CMD Jajodia in charge sheet

The CBI has filed its charge sheet in an ongoing coal scam case probe against Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd, its chairman cum managing director Sandeep Jajodia and senior vice president Amitabh Mudgal for alleged irregularities in allocation and running of Gare Palma and Rajgamar Dipside coal blocks in Chhattisgarh, officials said Friday.

After over six years of investigation, the CBI has invoked IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust against the company, Jajodia and Mudgal.

Submitting its findings before a special court in its charge sheet last week, the CBI said it has kept the probe open to investigate larger conspiracy in the case and the role of government officials, they said.

Queries sent to the company seeking reaction remained unanswered.

This is one of the alleged coal scam cases arising out of irregular allocation of coal blocks during 1993-2005. The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry on September 26, 2012 to look into the irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks during the period.

Based on the findings of the enquiry, a regular FIR was registered after five years on July 18, 2017 against the company.

The court is yet to take cognisance of the charge sheet.

The CBI had alleged in the FIR that the company falsely misrepresented before the coal ministry that no coal block or coal linkage was available to it for its Raigarh Sponge Iron plant while applying for a coal block.

The 36th Screening Committee had allocated the Rajgamar Dipside captive coal block to it in 2009.

In its FIR, the CBI has alleged that company was unauthorisedly diverting supply of coal in its Raigarh plant from Gare Palma coal which it had got in 1996 for captive mining to expand existing Raipur Sponge Iron plant. The company had started mining at the block in 2004.

The company also established a sponge iron plant in Raigarh simultaneously.

The agency had accused the company of consuming coal from the Gare Palma IV/5 block in its Raigarh Plant since 2005-06 without coal ministry's permission.

The agency alleged that from 2008-09 onwards, more coal was used in Raigarh than in Raipur.