Former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, ex-coal secretary H C Gupta and five others were on Thursday put on trial by a special court in a coal scam case relating to alleged irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh. The court also framed charges against two senior public servants K S Kropha and K C Samria, M/s JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd, its Director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and Vijay Darda’s son Devendra Darda after they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The court had said that Darda, the Chairman of Lokmat Group, had done so to get the Fatehpur (East) coal block in Chhattisgarh allotted to JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd. JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd was allotted Fatehpur (East) coal block by the 35th Screening Committee. It had said that nothing substantial has emerged to establish cheating and criminal conspiracy among officials of the ministry of coal and JLD Yavatmal Energy Ltd’s directors.

Source: Hindustan Times November 10, 2016 08:48 UTC