Coal scam case: Former Coal Secretary sentenced to 3-yr imprisonment

New Delhi , Dec 5: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Wednesday sentenced three people including former Coal Secretary HC Gupta to 3 years imprisonment in Vikas Metal power Ltd coal block allocation case.

Also, two private persons have been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment.

The court had on November 30 convicted Gupta, former joint secretary in Ministry of Coal K S Kropha and the then director (CA-I) in the ministry KC Samria. The court also convicted the firm, Vikash Metals and Power Limited, its managing director Vikash Patni and its authorised signatory Anand Mallick.

The CBI had registered an FIR in the case in September 2012. The Special court in Delhi held all of them guilty of criminal conspiracy and under other sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Gupta, was Coal Secretary for two years during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime before he retired in 2008. He is facing trial in seven other cases of the coal scam.

In June 2017, Gupta was awarded jail term for irregularities in the allocation of Madhya Pradesh based Thesgora-B/Rudrapuri coal block to KSSPL. Then in December 2017, a special CBI court held the former coal secretary guilty in a coal allocation and mining scam from Jharkhand. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was also convicted in the case.

The IAS officers' association in 2016 came in support of Gupta after he broke down in the Court saying he did not have the capacity to hire a lawyer to contest his case. The association then offered to pay his lawyers' fees, said reports.