Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and its two directors RS Rungta and RC Rungta have been convicted in a case pertaining to irregularities in allotment of a coal block. (Representational Image)
Highlights
- Sentence for Rungta brothers will be given on March 31
- Their company, Jharkhand Ispat, was allotted a coal block in 2005
- Court said they deliberately misled ministry, screening committee for it
Two senior directors of Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited have been convicted in the first verdict from a special court hearing the cases related to the coal scam.
RS Rungta and RC Rungta were found guilty of cheating, criminal conspiracy, misrepresenting facts before the screening committee and the coal and steel ministry to acquire the North Dhadu coal block in 2005.
The brothers, who had been out on bail since January 2015, were immediately taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which had investigated the issue. The sentence will be pronounced on March 31.
According to the chargesheet, the Rungtas had led the screening committee formed by the government to believe that they had acquired 79 acres of land -- which was one of the conditions for getting the coal block.
But an investigation found that the company only had 32 acres of land the day the block was allocated.
It was also found that the witnesses who allegedly signed the deed of agreement to sell -- "Koleshwar Mahto" and "Lalit Kumar Dass" -- were fake identities.
"The accused persons wanted to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that their application is given a higher priority by the Screening Committee," the judgment read. "They made both Ministry of Steel and Coal believe in their claims... knowing fully well that the claims being made are false," the court further said
Though no government servants were accused the case, the court criticised coal ministry officials, saying they "ought to have taken all necessary precautions" so a nationalized natural resource like coal "cannot be usurped by unscrupulous persons".
The CBI has registered more than 50 cases under what is popularly known as coal scam. Trial is being held for 19 of them.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)