&w=3840&q=100)
Coal scam case: CBI court acquits former bureaucrats Gupta, Kropha, Samaria
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday acquitted former coal secretary HC Gupta, former joint secretary (coal) KS Kropha, and former coal allocation director KC Samaria in the high-profile 2012 coal scam case.
Special Judge Sanjay Bansal convicted JAS Infrastructure Capital Ltd and its then director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal for cheating and criminal conspiracy in connection with the allocation of the Mahugarhi coal block in Jharkhand. Sentencing arguments are scheduled for 8 July 2025.
CBI recounts progress and previous findings
'This is the 19th conviction in coal block allocation cases investigated by CBI,' a CBI spokesperson said. The agency initially filed its closure report in the matter on 20 November 2014.
Previously, the court had framed charges against JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, HC Gupta, KS Kropha, and KC Samaria.
The CBI said that the promoters of JAS Infrastructure had made 'false and misleading claims' about the company's financial net worth, which formed the basis of the allocation. During the trial, 18 prosecution witnesses were examined. This case marks the 19th conviction out of the 54 coal block allocation cases probed by the CBI. Only half of these cases have been disposed of so far.
Previous coal block cases involving the acquitted officials
In 2017, Gupta, Kropha, and Samaria were convicted by another special CBI court for irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks in Madhya Pradesh to Kamal Sponge Steel & Power Ltd (KSSPL). They were granted bail on the same day.
In April this year, Judge Bansal discharged Gupta and Kropha in a separate coal block allocation case related to Mednirai, also in Jharkhand, citing lack of evidence.
The coal scam, also known as the Coalgate scandal, erupted in 2012 after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reported that the government had allocated coal blocks to private companies without transparent auctions. The report estimated a 'notional loss' of ₹1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The scandal triggered widespread political uproar and was a major factor in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's defeat in the 2014 general elections, which brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SC stays trial against former Haryana IAS officer in Manesar land case
The Supreme Court has stayed trial proceedings against former Haryana IAS officer Rajeev Arora in the Manesar land deal, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The former IAS officer had petitioned the apex court after his revision petition challenging his summoning by a special CBI court was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana high court on May 15. A special CBI court had on December 1, 2020 ordered that the former IAS officer be summoned to face trial for committing offence under section 120-B read with 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Manesar land matter. However, on a revision petition filed by Arora, the Punjab and Haryana high court on December 14, 2020 had stayed the operation and implementation of the order of the special CBI court. Rejecting the challenge to the special CBI court's December 1, 2020 order, the HC on May15 said it found no illegality or infirmity in the order passed by learned special CBI court in summoning the petitioners. An apex court bench headed by chief justice BR Gavai, however, on May 29 ordered that notice be issued to the respondents and 'proceedings qua the petitioner (Rajeev Arora) shall stand stayed till the next date of hearing.' During the trial court proceedings on Friday, Special CBI judge, Rajeev Goyal while referring to the apex court's order of May 29 ordered that proceedings against all the accused persons except Rajeev Arora shall commence. The special court in its June 6 order noted that it is, therefore, seen that all the accused except accused Dhare Singh, Kulwant Singh Lamba, DR Dhingra and Rajeev Arora, have been ordered to be charge-sheeted qua the offences as detailed in the order December 1, 2020. The court said that now arguments need to be advanced on charges in respect of accused Dhare Singh, Kulwant Singh Lamba and DR Dhingra. Learned defence counsels seek time to prepare the arguments. Learned senior public prosecutor Harsh Mohan Singh submits that charge-sheet may kindly be framed against the accused persons who have already been ordered to be charge-sheeted vide order dated December 1,2020. 'I am not able to accept the submission made by the senior public prosecutor as it will not be appropriate to frame charge-sheet before considering the case concerning framing of charges in respect of accused Dhare Singh, Kulwant Singh Lamba and DR Dhingra. In case, the court after hearing contentions of the said accused persons and senior public prosecutor for CBI, concludes that charges are required to be framed against said accused persons as well, then a consolidated charge-sheet qua all the accused persons shall be framed and in my opinion, it will be more appropriate if such a course is adopted, for framing charge-sheet in a piecemeal manner is not desirable. As such, to come up on July 10, 2025 for arguments on charge qua accused Dhare Singh, Kulwant Singh Lamba and DR Dhingra,'' ordered the special court.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump signs orders intended to jolt US drone manufacturing
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Friday aimed at bolstering the US drone industry, cracking down on unauthorized flights and countering threats to national security and public orders sought to expand opportunities for commercial and recreational drone use, and tighten restrictions to address security threats. American officials have been concerned about foreign adversaries using drones to spy on sensitive areas, including military installations, and about China's dominance of the drone market, which they see as a national security threat."Building a strong and secure domestic drone sector is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources, strengthening critical supply chains and ensuring that the benefits of this technology are delivered to the American people," one of the orders drone orders were part of a broader federal push into airborne technology. A third order he signed Friday sought to revive high-speed commercial air travel, by repealing regulations prohibiting cross-country supersonic flights, which for decades have precluded nonmilitary air travel over land at faster-than-sound and Republican administrations, as well as Congress, have grappled in recent years with the risks posed by China's role in drone manufacturing. The United States has struggled to develop alternatives at a scale necessary to wean drone operators, including the US military, completely off Chinese the same time, the growing popularity of commercial and recreational drones, and an increase in incidents of drones flying over sensitive sites, have heightened demand for Trump administration warned that drones have been used to smuggle drugs across borders, and that they could pose threats to large public gatherings, such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, both of which are being held in the United of Trump's executive orders directed the Federal Aviation Administration to allow commercial users and public safety officials to fly drones beyond their range of sight. Under current rules, a user must be able to see the drone they are also backed a program to test aircraft that make vertical takeoffs and landings, which have the potential to improve cargo transport, medical responses and access to rural order also directed the commerce secretary to promote exports of US-made drones, and instructed federal agencies to prioritize purchases of executive order directed the FAA to develop processes to restrict the airspace over critical infrastructure, military installations, large airports, federal facilities and national also called on the attorney general and the FAA to more robustly enforce civil and criminal penalties for drone operators who violate laws or airspace restrictions. And it promoted grants for state and local law enforcement agencies to access drone-detection and tracking representatives said that the orders were an important investment in the US drone Ellman, CEO of the Commercial Drone Alliance, said in a statement that they were "long-overdue steps."The orders were Trump's most comprehensive attempt yet to boost the US drone his first term, he signed directives that sought to increase the use of drones. Days before he departed the White House, he instructed federal agencies to determine whether they could reduce the procurement of drones manufactured by foreign has taken steps to single out drone manufacturers for scrutiny and potential restrictions in the United States. In last year's defense bill, an annual measure that authorizes policies and funding for the Pentagon and military, lawmakers directed national security agencies to determine whether equipment produced by DJI or Autel, both Chinese companies that manufacture drones, posed a risk to the United States.A provision of the legislation said that if no determination was made within a year, the equipment would be added to the Federal Communications Commission's list of devices that cannot be sold in the United is not clear how many Chinese-manufactured drones exist in the United States, though they are estimated to be a majority of those in use. In the spring, there were over 1 million registered drones in the United States, according to the FAA, over 400,000 of which were commercial drones and over 350,000 of which were for recreational FAA requires the registration of all drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds. The FAA also restricts how high drones can be flown without authorization, to less than 400 feet, unless they are within a certain radius of tall structures. In restricted airspace, drone use is limited even Rocheleau, the acting FAA administrator, told House lawmakers this week that it was not possible for the FAA to know exactly how many drones were in the sky, given the limits of registration requirements."We do in fact work with legal operators, and we would be able to collect that," he told the Appropriations Committee, adding: "A child with a drone would be more challenging."
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana court grants interim bail to Bharat Bhushan Ashu in ₹2,400 crore land misuse case
A day after the Punjab vigilance bureau issued summons to former minister and Congress candidate for the Ludhiana West byelection, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, in a ₹2,400 crore land misuse case, a local court granted him interim bail on Friday. The court also directed Ashu to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Ashu's counsel, advocate Vijay Mahendru, confirmed that additional sessions judge Jaspinder Singh granted interim relief to the Congress leader, instructing him to join the probe whenever summoned by the investigating officer. The matter is scheduled for next hearing on June 11. In its order, the court observed that Ashu was not initially named in the FIR and was only added later. The judge noted, 'The case of the prosecution is based on documentary evidence. The applicant is directed to join the investigation as and when called by the investigating officer. In the event of his arrest, he shall be released on interim bail by the investigating officer.' Ashu, in his plea, contended that the case was politically motivated and timed to disrupt his election campaign. He maintained that his implication was baseless and intended to malign his image ahead of the crucial by-election.
