A Delhi special court on Wednesday acquitted six individuals, including former Coal Secretary H.C. Gupta, in a high-profile case linked to the allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha. The accused, which included senior public servants and private sector officials, faced charges of conspiring to mislead the Ministry of Coal during the allocation process.
Special Judge Sanjay Bansal ruled that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that fraudulent misrepresentation occurred. Those acquitted included Gupta, Navabharat Power Pvt. Ltd. (NPPL), its Chairman P. Trivikrama Prasad, Managing Director Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, former Joint Secretary in the Coal Ministry K.S. Kropha, and ex-Director of Coal Allocation K.C. Samaria.
The court determined that no evidence supported allegations of cheating, as no actions were induced by false claims. Judge Bansal stated, “When the application has been found to be complete, when the applicant company NPPL was eligible, and when no misrepresentations were made, no question arises regarding the existence of any conspiracy.” The prosecution could not substantiate claims of a criminal conspiracy or breach of trust, the judge noted.
The CBI had accused NPPL, under the leadership of Y. Harish Chandra Prasad and P. Trivikrama Prasad, of colluding with Gupta, Kropha, and Samaria between 2006 and 2008 to deceive the Ministry of Coal by providing false information about the company’s land holdings and net worth. These alleged misrepresentations were claimed to have led to the allocation of two coal blocks, Rampia and Dipside of Rampia, to the company.
However, the court found the prosecution’s evidence insufficient to support the charges. With the inability to establish any criminal conduct, all six accused were acquitted, marking a significant blow to the CBI’s investigation into the alleged coal scam.
