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The former Coal Secretary HC Gupta and former joint-secretary Ministry of Coal (MoC) K S Kropha filed the present appeal against the Trial court order of July and have sought suspension of sentences
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to former Coal Secretary HC Gupta and former joint-secretary in the Ministry of Coal (MoC), K S Kropha in a case related to irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh.
While granting bail, the bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma noted that Gupta and Kropha were sentenced to three and two years of imprisonment respectively, by the Trial Court earlier in August.
Justice Sharma issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation in both Gupta and Kropha’s pleas.
The court posted the matter for further consideration along with the appeals filed by the other convicts in the case. All the appeals will now together be heard on September 26, 2023.
It is to be noted that in July this year, Gupta and Kropha, along with former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Vijay Darda, his son Devender Darda and director of JLD Yavatmal Energy Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, were convicted by a trial court. Another bureaucrat named KC Samria was also convicted in the case.
Notably, the single-judge bench of the High Court on July 28, had also granted interim bail to former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra Darda and businessman and Director of JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, who were sentenced to four years in jail in a case related to irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh.
Justice Sharma had granted interim bail to the three on furnishing a bail bond of Rs. 10 lakh each and two sureties of the same amount.
Notably, the father-son duo and Jayaswal were sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment by the trial court on July 26.
It is also to be noted that the trial court had held all the accused guilty of offences under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(1)(d)(iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court had also imposed a fine of Rs. 50 lakh on M/s JLD Yavatmal. It also imposed a fine of Rs. 15 lahks each on the Dardas and Jayaswal. The other three convicts were directed to pay a fine of Rs. 20,000 each.
Case Title: KS Kropha v. CBI & H C Gupta v. CBI
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