Former coal secretary HC Gupta and four others will face trial in a case related to irregularities found in the allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand to a private firm, ANI reported. A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Wednesday ordered the framing of charges against the accused for offences related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The charges against the accused in the case will be formally framed on December 22. Gupta has already been charged in another case pertaining to the allocation of the Moira and Madhujore (North and South) coal blocks in West Bengal.
His refusal to take any legal help in the case drew attention from the Indian Administrative Services fraternity in August. it was decided that the IAS association will reach out to the implicated officer and help him with the case. The association’s executive body also decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss the case.
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