Delhi Court Acquits Six in High-Profile Coal Scam Case

A Delhi court has acquitted six individuals, including ex-Coal Secretary H C Gupta, in the alleged Odisha coal scam. The CBI could not prove charges of conspiracy or misrepresentation against the accused, deeming them not guilty of misleading during the coal block allocation process.

In a landmark judgment on Wednesday, a special court in Delhi acquitted six individuals, notably former Coal Secretary H C Gupta, in a highly publicized case concerning the alleged coal scam involving the allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha. The accused, which included top-tier public servants and private sector executives, faced charges of conspiring to deceive the Ministry of Coal.

Presiding Judge Sanjay Bansal ruled that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to prove that any fraudulent activities or misrepresentations were committed by the accused. Acquitted parties included officials from Navabharat Power Pvt. Ltd. (NPPL) such as Chairman P. Trivikrama Prasad and Managing Director Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, as well as former Joint Secretary in the Coal Ministry K S Kropha, and ex-director in the Coal Allocation section, K C Samaria.

Judge Bansal stated that the prosecution was unable to provide adequate evidence to support claims of conspiracy or breach of trust. The CBI had accused NPPL of misleading the Ministry between 2006 and 2008 through false statements about the company's assets, leading to the allocation of two coal blocks. However, the court found no basis for these allegations, leading to the acquittal of all defendants, dealing a significant blow to the CBI's investigative efforts.

(With inputs from agencies.)