A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and ex-Coal Secretary HC Gupta to three years in jail for corruption in a coal block allocation case.
Special Judge Bharat Parashar also sent Koda’s close aide Vijay Joshi and Jharkhand’s then Chief Secretary AK Basu to jail for three years. It also imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh each on Koda and Joshi and Rs 1 lakh each on Gupta and Basu.
A visibly upset Koda said he failed to prove his innocence despite his best efforts.
Koda also expressed helplessness in depositing Rs 25-lakh fine, saying his bank accounts were frozen and he would have to borrow the amount.
Koda said he would approach the Delhi High Court after reading the judgment and consulting his lawyers.
“I had put forth my views to prove my innocence. I am sad because of today’s order and I will approach the HC after reading the order and consulting my advocate,” he said.
Regarding the fine, he said, “All my bank accounts are frozen. I will try to get debt from someone to pay the fine otherwise face whatever situation arises.”
“It was not my aim to become MP or MlA when I joined politics. My aim was that how much I can put forth the issues of the public. Though I cannot contest election because of today’s order, I will keep working for the public and fight for their rights,” he said.
Koda was sworn in as the fourth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on September 14, 2006 and remained in office until his resignation on August 23, 2008.
Koda is also an accused in another coal scam case pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.
The case also includes Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, former Union Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao and former Union Coal Secretary HC Gupta as accused.
The court on December 13 had held Koda, Joshi, Gupta, Basu and private company Vini Iron and Steel Udyog ltd (VISUl) guilty of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on VISUl.
The court's order came in the case related to Jharkhand's Rajhara North coal block allocation to VISUl.
Special judge Bharat Parashar convicted the private firm and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on it.
The convicts including Koda, however, were granted statutory bail for a period of two months to enable them to file appeals in the Delhi High Court challenging the conviction and the jail term.
The convicts were tried for offences under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) of the IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI had said that the firm had applied for allocation of Rajhara North coal block on January 8, 2007.
It had said although the Jharkhand Government and Steel Ministry did not recommend VISUl's case for coal block allocation, the 36th Screening Committee recommended the block to the accused firm.
The CBI had said that Gupta, who was chairman of the screening committee, had concealed facts from the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who at that time headed the Coal Ministry too, that Jharkhand had not recommended VISUl for allocation of a coal block.
The CBI has urged the court to award the maximum seven-year jail term to Koda and others after they were convicted in the case.
The agency said they were criminals holding high offices and considering their official position and conduct, there was no sufficient ground for leniency.
The convicts, however, have sought leniency from the court.
The judge had acquitted four persons -- VISUl's Director Vaibhav Tulsyan, two public servants Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh, and Chartered Accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan -- of all charges.