New Delhi: The trial in a coal scam case in which charges were framed against Delhi-based Rathi Steel and Power Limited (RSPL) and its three officials Friday commenced before a special court, which recorded the statements of two CBI witnesses.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar recorded depositions of Ram Naresh, an under secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, and L S Janoti, who had retired as a section officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
During the recording of statement, Naresh said he was posted as section officer in Ministry of Coal's (MoC) company affairs (CA-I) section from June 2009 to October 2014. "In the said section (CA-I) the progress of coal blocks which were earlier allocated were being monitored," he said.
He deposed that after CBI had registered some preliminary enquiries in the coal scam matters, the agency officers used to ask for various documents from MoC pertaining to allocation of various coal blocks to different companies.
During his cross examination by advocate P K Dubey, who appeared for RSPL and its Chief Executive Officer Udit Rathi, Ram Naresh said his statement was recorded by the CBI in a preliminary enquiry regarding missing documents pertaining to coal block allocation process.
"When the files pertaining to the present (RSPL) case were received in CA-I section from screening committee, at that time, I was not posted even in Ministry of Coal," he said, adding, "during the period when I was posted in Ministry of Coal, no new allocation of any coal block was made."
The court had earlier framed charges against RSPL and its three top officials - Managing Director Pradeep Rathi, CEO Udit Rathi and AGM Kushal Aggarwal, for the alleged offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy.
The court has put them on trial saying they had allegedly conspired and furnished wrong information to get Kesla North coal block in Chhattisgarh and "misappropriated" nationalised natural resources.
During the recording of evidence, Janoti deposed before the court that he had joined MoC as an assistant in 1995 and was promoted as section officer in 2007 and remained there till 2012.
He said during his stint in MoC, he had dealt with files received from screening committee after the recommendations of allotment having been made by it.
During his cross-examination by defence counsel, he said, "it is wrong to suggest that I am deliberately withholding/ concealing information about the guidelines/instructions issued by Ministry of Coal or processing coal block allocation applications at the behest of CBI."
The recording of evidence in the case would continue tomorrow.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Kesla North coal block in Chhattisgarh to RSPL.
After the charges were framed, all the accused had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The three individual accused were earlier granted bail by the court after they had appeared before it.
CBI had lodged an FIR against RSPL, its directors, Udit Rathi and members of the 36th screening committee and other unnamed persons for the offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) of IPC and under Prevention of Corruption Act.
A charge sheet was later filed against RSPL and Udit Rathi only. Regarding other directors of RSPL or members of the 36th screening committee, CBI had said allegations against them could not be substantiated during the probe.
