THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 3: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has acquitted former coal secretary H C Gupta, former joint secretary K S Kropha, and three others, including the company R.K.M. Powergen Pvt. Ltd., its managing director Dr. Andal Arumugam, and director T.M. Singaravel, in a case related to the allocation of the Fatehpur East coal block in Chhattisgarh.
Delivering its order on October 31, Special CBI Judge Dheeraj Mor observed that the allocation was made in the public interest to the most “meritorious and deserving” company, and there was no evidence to suggest any misconduct or mala fide intent on the part of the public servants involved.
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“There is not even an iota of material to indicate that the acts of the accused officials were devoid of public interest,” the court said, noting that the essential elements of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act were missing.
The court, therefore, discharged all five accused from the offences mentioned in the CBI chargesheet, including those under Sections 120B and 420 of the IPC and Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Advocate Rahul Tyagi, representing H C Gupta, had strongly opposed the allegations during the proceedings.
The case stemmed from a CBI FIR filed in August 2014, which alleged irregularities in the allocation process by the 35th Screening Committee of the Ministry of Coal, convened by K S Kropha.
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The agency claimed that R.K.M. Powergen had inflated its net worth by including assets of foreign and domestic entities that did not hold any equity in the company at the time of application. However, the court found no evidence of criminal intent or undue benefit, emphasizing that the committee’s recommendation served public interest.
