NEW DELHI: The CBI has urged a special court to award the maximum punishment of seven-year jail term to former coal secretary H.C Gupta for cheating and criminal conspiracy in allocation of a coal block to a private firm.
Special Judge Bharat Parashar, who convicted Gupta for irregularities in allocation of Madhya Pradesh-based Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block to Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd (KSSPL), will pronounce his judgment on the quantum of sentence on July 22.
Gupta, who was the coal secretary from December 31, 2005, to November 2008, then joint secretary K.S Kropha and then director K.C Samaria in the coal ministry were held guilty by the court for irregularities in allocation.
Senior public prosecutor V.K Sharma told the court that the convicts had committed an economic offence and urged it not to grant any leniency to them.He submitted that economic offences were graver than the other crimes and should be dealt with firmly.
Parashar also said former prime minister Manmohan Singh had no reason to presume that Gupta, then coal secretary, recommended a non-compliant private firm for coal block allocation in Madhya Pradesh.
The judge noted that the former coal secretary made “dishonest misrepresentation” before Singh.
Singh, who had to act only upon the recommendations of the Screening Committee of which Gupta was the chairman, was then holding the portfolio of Ministry of Coal (MOC) besides others.
The court said there was no reason for the former Prime Minister to presume that the guidelines had not been complied with.
It said it was “apparent” that Singh proceeded to consider the Screening Committee recommendation on the assumption that the applications must have been checked in MOC for their eligibility and completeness or that the guidelines must have been duly followed even by the Committee. (PTI)