Coal scam: Former MP Vijay Darda and secretary sentenced to prison

A Special Court in Delhi sentenced former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda and his son Devender Darda to four years in prison on Wednesday in a case involving irregularities in the distribution of a coal block in Chhattisgarh.

In the corruption case, Special Judge Sanjay Bansal also sentenced ex-Coal Secretary H C Gupta and two senior public officers — KS Kropha and KC Samria — to three years in prison. Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, the Director of JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd, was also sentence to four years in prison for his role in the coal scandal during the administration of Manmohan Singh’s UPA government.

On July 13, Special Judge Sanjay Bansal found them all guilty. They found guilty under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the applicable provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Also Read: Kylian Mbappé Reportedly Rejects Saudi Arabia’s Offer of 2,729cr Salary

Coal Scam Verdict

Earlier, the court accepted senior Public Prosecutor A P Singh’s claims that the CBI could establish its case beyond all reasonable doubt. According to the court, Vijay Darda, Chairman of Lokmat Group, did so in order to get the Fatehpur (East) coal block in Chhattisgarh assign to JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd.

According to an earlier CBI statement, the coal fraud is one of the biggest in the country, with the result that companies are not stepping forward to mine the coal blocks despite the fact that they are available. As a result, coal is in short supply. We are force to import from countries other than India.

Report : On November 20, 2014, the court refused to accept the CBI’s closure report in the matter and instructed the government investigative agency to re-investigate it, claiming that the ex-MP had “misrepresented” facts in letters written to then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had the coal portfolio at the time.

Also Read: IMD issued orange signal for Mumbai