Special CBI Court Charges Industrialist Naveen Jindal, Four Others In Connection With Allocation Of Coal Block In MP

Charges have been framed against industrialist Naveen Jindal and four others by a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi.

They have been charged for allegedly making incorrect claims as well as deceiving the coal ministry in connection with the allocation of Urtan North coal block based in Madhya Pradesh.

Charges have been framed under Section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 against Naveen Jindal, former Jindal Steel and Power Ltd director Sushil Maroo, the company’s former deputy managing director Anand Goyal, its CEO Vikrant Gujral and the company’s authorised signatory D N Abrol.

All the accused pleaded not guilty after which the case was adjourned under Section 294 of the Criminal Procedure Code to September 30.

The CBI court stated that prima facie, the company had made incorrect claims before the screening committee regarding land and orders placed regarding purchase of equipment.

Allegedly, the accused had misrepresented facts in their January 2007 application before the screening committee to obtain the Madhya Pradesh coal block, according to the CBI charge sheet.

Based on the misrepresented facts, the ministry had issued an allocation letter to the company in October 2009.

The CBI has named 64 people as prosecution witnesses to prove its case besides annexing 60 documents in its charge sheet.

According to the CBI charge sheet, the company misrepresented or made false claims on two counts that it had already acquired 964 acres of land for its Jharkhand-based Patratu project and that it had placed orders for equipment for its Odisha-based Angul project for Rs 4,340 crore.

Incidentally, it may be recalled that Naveen Jindal and others are also face trial in a case related to the allocation of the Amarkonda-Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.