SHILLONG: The members of the Meghalaya IAS Officers’ Association have expressed solidarity with the IAS officers who were recently convicted in the coal block allocation case.
In a meeting held on Monday, the association passed a resolution saying HC Gupta, KS Kropha and KC Samria “are known for their honesty, impeccable integrity and unblemished track record”.
“We stand by them and their respective families in their hour of distress,” a statement issued by the association read.
The members also recalled the stellar services rendered by Kropha in various positions, including as chief secretary of Meghalaya.
“The association is hopeful that the (Delhi court) judgment will be appealed and that the three officers will eventually be exonerated of all charges,” the association said.
A Delhi court last Friday found Kropha and four others, including Samria, guilty of various offences in allotment of coal blocks in 2005.
The court also convicted former coal secretary Gupta in block allocation in West Bengal during the previous UPA regime at the Centre.
