New Delhi: The CBI, probing the “Coalgate” scam, on Thursday filed a second chargesheet naming Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra, Nagpur-based AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd. and others as accused for acquiring Bander coal block in Maharashtra in 2008 fraudulently. It also registered two fresh cases against the promoter of Nagpur-based Central Collieries Co. Ltd and Delhi-based Prakash Industries for alleged irregularities in allocation of Takli-Jena-Bellora block in Maharashtra and Fatehpur block in Chhattisgarh.
This is the CBI’s second chargesheet out of 18 FIRs till date in the multi-crore scam against private companies and top corporates.
Sources said the accused, including Mr Darda and his son Devendra, were chargesheeted for offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
“The agency, in its chargesheet, alleged that AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ld concealed and misrepresented facts that its group companies were already allocated captive coal blocks and that it was financially eligible to get the block,” a source said.
Sources said, “The agency in its chargesheet has alleged that AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited concealed and misrepresented facts that its group companies were already allocated captive coal blocks and that it was financially eligible to get the block”.
The agency also alleged that the company in order to prove financial eligibility to acquire the block fraudulently claimed that it was part of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), another company.
The CBI also sought clarifications from the then minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia in connection with the case. The chargesheet was filed a day before the CBI would be informing the SC about the status of its probe.
