Coal news and updates

A special court has framed charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy against Gondwana Ispat Ltd and its Director in a coal block allocation case for allegedly misrepresenting facts to get a coal block in Maharashtra allocated to it.

 

The court framed the charges against the firm and its director Ashok Daga after noting that prima facie, the charges were made out against them. “From the overall facts and circumstances, prima faice, charge for the offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and 120-B read with section 420 of IPC is made out against the two accused persons and accordingly charge for the said offence has been framed against them i.e. Gondwana Ispat Ltd and Ashok Daga. “Both the accused persons have, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges so framed and claimed trial,” Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said while fixing the matter for further hearing for July 1.

 

The firm was allocated Majra coal block in 2003 and an FIR was lodged against it in 2014. The court had summoned both the accused after taking cognizance of CBI charge sheet which alleged that Daga had made “unsubstantiated claim even towards financial preparedness and tie-up regarding iron ore with Odisha government”.

Source: hindustantimes