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Naveen Jindal, who is currently being probed by both the CBI and ED in connection with the alleged coal scam, was granted relief by Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj to travel abroad, subject to certain conditions
The Rouse Avenue Court recently granted BJP Member of Parliament (MP) and industrialist Naveen Jindal permission to travel abroad in connection to the alleged coal scam that is being probed by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj granted the said permission while noting that, "The applicant has mentioned that no prejudice shall be caused to the prosecution and/or any proceedings including trial before this Court shall be hampered/delayed in his absence. He has undertaken that he will not dispute his identity nor question the legitimacy of any proceedings done including recording prosecution evidences in his absence and in the presence of his counsel on the ground of his absence."
Jindal, who is facing charges in a case pertaining to the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand was allowed the said relief by the court.
The court's relief allows him to travel to various countries such as Oman, UAE, UK, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain,Belgium, Netherland, Hungry, France, Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Panama, USA, Canada & Chile from 12 to 30 October.
While allowing the relief, the court instructed Jindal’s counsel not to seek any adjournments on the grounds of his absence. It was also noted that Jindal has undertaken to be present whenever required in connection with the ongoing cases.
Additionally, the court directed Jindal to furnish a fixed deposit of Rs 1 crore and to not tamper with any evidence or try to influence any witness in any manner.
The court further observed that Jindal had submitted a tentative itinerary for his travel, while also including details of the addresses and hotels where he would be staying during his visit abroad.
Advocates Gurpreet Singh Parwanda and along with Advocate Pallav Srivastava, appearing for Jindal, argued in favor of granting him permission to travel abroad for business meetings. They also promised the court to file a report of the countries visited upon his return to India.
Conversely, the application was opposed by Advocate A.P. Singh for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Special Public Prosecutor Rajesh Batra for the Directorate of Enforcement (DoE).
However, the court added that "He shall inform the IO of CBI and DoE and the Court about his arrival to India mentioning the details of the places visited by him along with the other details of the itinerary within seven days of his arrival."
Accordingly, the said permission was granted subject to certain conditions.
Background:
Naveen Jindal is currently facing charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating in connection with alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand coal block allocation.
Notably in 2019, a Special CBI court presided over by Special Judge Bharat Parashar had framed charges against Jindal under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Naveen Jindal's company, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL), allegedly bribed officials to get the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block allocated to them.
The CBI had also filed another charge sheet against Jindal for allegedly misrepresenting facts to the government in order to secure the Madhya Pradesh-based Urtan North coal block.
However, the investigations by the CBI and ED regarding the current case are still ongoing.
Case Title: ED vs. M/s Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. & Ors and CBI vs. M/s Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. & Ors.
[Inputs-NDTV]
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