The CBI, unable to gather evidence against former Coal Secretary HC Gupta, Joint Secretary KS Kropha and Director KC Samraiya, had filed a closure report in the case against them relating to irregularities in the allocation of Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to Kamal Sponge Steel and Power ltd. Dissatisfied with the investigations of the Central agency, the court had directed the CBI to convert the closure report into a chargesheet. On the basis of the chargesheet, all the accused including Gupta were issued summons to be present before the court.
The CBI had then told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar that there was not enough evidence on this case on which the convicts could be framed. The investigating agency had further said that there were only situational evidence in this case and the agency had failed to gather direct evidence. However, the Special Judge Bharat Parashar had objected over the investigation of the CBI and had therefore decided to convert the closer report into a chargesheet, expressing dissatisfaction.
Gupta and the other accused were accordingly issued summons to appear before the court on the basis of this chargesheet. He was accused in 11 cases while Kropha and Samaria were allegedly involved in eight and six cases of coal scam respectively.
A total of 28 cases had arisen from the coal block allocation scam, the investigation of which was monitored by the SC. The CBI was probing the allocation from 2004 to 2010 and then its ambit was expanded to cover them since 1993. Till now, three cases have been decided with the first conviction order passed on March 28, 2016 in a case pertaining to irregularities in allotment of a coal block to Jharkhand Ispat Pvt ltd.