The Delhi High Court requested the CBI’s response to appeals filed by former coal secretary H.C. Gupta and ex-IAS officer K.S. Kropha regarding their conviction and three-year sentence in a coal block allocation case in Chhattisgarh. The court granted bail to Gupta and Kropha, who then appealed against their conviction. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma issued notice to the CBI and stated that the two would remain on bail until the case’s final resolution.
The high court admitted their appeals, indicating they would be heard in conjunction with appeals by other convicts. Former Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devender Darda, and businessman Manoj Kumar Jayaswal were also convicted in the case, receiving four years’ sentence each. The trial court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Gupta and Kropha’s counsel argued during the hearing that there was no evidence of financial gain or quid pro quo. Earlier, senior Public Prosecutor A.P. Singh’s submissions convinced the court that the CBI had substantiated its case convincingly.
The trial court had determined that Vijay Darda had orchestrated the allocation of the Fatehpur (East) coal block in Chhattisgarh to JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd. The appeals, along with those of other convicts, will be scheduled for future hearings.
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