Coal scam: Ex-Coal Secy kept then PM Manmohan Singh in dark, says court

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was kept in the "dark" by then Coal Secretary H C Gupta who had prima facie violated the law and the trust imposed on him on the issue of coal block allocation, a special court said Thursday.

Ordering framing of charges against Gupta and five others for their alleged roles in the allocation of coal block to Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL), the court noted CBI's allegations that Gupta had withheld complete and proper information from Prime Minister Office (PMO) on the matter.

"Thus when accused H C Gupta withheld complete and proper information from the PMO either in his comments made while submitting the recommendation of the Screening Committee or in the meeting held with T K A Nair (principal secretary to PM) so the contention of senior PP that Minister of Coal (Singh) was also kept in dark by him does not appear to be without force," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar noted in his order.

"Accused H C Gupta thus prima facie acted in violation of the duty so imposed upon him and also in contravention of the directions of law in which such trust was to be discharged," the court said while posting the case for October 14 for formal framing of charges.

Besides Gupta, the court ordered framing of charges against two senior public servants, K S Kropha and K C Samria, firm KSSPL, its Managing director Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia and chartered account Amit Goyal.

Kropha was the then Joint Secretary in Ministry of Coal, while Samria was the then Director (Coal Allocation-I) section in the ministry.

The court ordered to put these six accused on trial for the alleged offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) of the IPC and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act observing that prima facie charges were made out against them.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to KSSPL.