Court order March 4 on charges in coal block case against Jindals

A court here on Monday set March 4 for delivering its order on the framing charges in coal block case allegedly involving Jindal Group's firms.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar reserved his order on issue of framing of charges in the case, saying he will take time to go through the records of that case which are voluminous in nature as well as arguments advanced by the CBI and the defence counsels.

Former parliamentarian, industrialist and senior congress leader Naveen Jindal, former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao and former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda with others were chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case.

The court was hearing a case related to the allocation of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.

The probe agency has said there was sufficient evidence to frame charges against the accused in a case related to the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.

However, Jindal, Rao, Koda and others have denied the allegation against him and sought being discharged from the case.

The CBI in April last year filed a chargesheet against Jindal, Koda, Rao, former coal secreatry H.C. Gupta with six other individuals -- New Delhi Exim director Suresh Singhal, Jindal Realty director Rajeev Jain, Gagan Sponge directors Girish Kumar Juneja and R.K. Saraf, Sowbhagya Media's managing director K. Ramakrishna and chartered accountant Gyan Swaroop Garg.

Five private companies -- four based in Delhi and one in Hyderabad -- have also been named in the chargesheet.

The companies are Jindal Steel and Power ltd., Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. ltd., Jindal Reality Pvt. ltd., New Delhi Exim Pvt. ltd. and Sowbhagya Media ltd.

The CBI has formally charged them with criminal conspiracy, cheating and various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.