Former MP Vijay Darda, son Devendra sentenced to 4 years in jail in coal block allocation case

Alongside them, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, the director of JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd, also received a four-year jail term. Furthermore, HC Gupta, the former coal secretary, and two other officials, KS Kropha and KC Samaria, were sentenced to three years in prison.

In a significant development, a Delhi court handed down a verdict on Wednesday (July 26), sentencing former Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda and his son, Devendra Darda, to four years in prison. The case pertains to irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Chhattisgarh. Alongside them, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, the director of JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd, also received a four-year jail term. Furthermore, HC Gupta, the former coal secretary, and two other officials, KS Kropha and KC Samaria, were sentenced to three years in prison.

These convictions came after special judge Sanjay Bansal found them guilty under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) highlighted that this marks the 13th conviction in the coal allocation scam, which caused considerable turbulence during the tenure of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government in 2012. The case has been closely watched due to its political significance and implications for addressing corruption in government dealings.

In the sentencing phase, the CBI urged for the most severe punishment, alleging that Darda and his son, Devender, had a meeting with former CBI director Ranjit Sinha at his residence with the intention to obstruct the investigation. The Supreme Court had established a SIT to look into allegations against Sinha, relating to potential attempts to influence the inquiry in the coal scam cases.

The CBI's senior Public Prosecutor, AP Singh, added to the gravity of the situation by asserting that a witness in the case revealed being subjected to threats by Jayaswal. Allegedly, Jayaswal attempted to coerce the witness into refraining from giving testimony against him. Such actions only added to the complexities and seriousness of the entire coal block allocation scandal.