The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday filed a charge-sheet in a Delhi Court against Hyderabad-based Nava Bharat Power Pvt Ltd and two of its directors in a coal block allocation scam.
The matter relates to allocation of coal blocks during 2006-2009, wherein the apex investigation agency has found that the company and its directors misrepresented facts in their application to get the coal blocks allotted to them.
The CBI has chargesheeted the company and two of its directors P Trivikram Prasad and Y. Harish Chandra Prasad under various provisions of IPC including criminal conspiracy and cheating.
PTI adds: According to court sources, CBI has not charged them under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the sources said.
They further said other documents and annexures which are to be filed along with the charge sheet will be submitted before the judge later in the day.
CBI in its FIR filed on September 3, 2012, had named Nava Bharat Power, its two directors along with some unknown public servants of the Ministry of Coal and Jharkhand Government and others in the case.
The FIR was lodged after a preliminary enquiry was initiated on the reference of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
In the FIR, CBI had also accused unknown officials of the Coal Ministry of entering into conspiracy and “wilfully” not scrutinising documents to allow “undue advantage” to the company in getting the blocks.
The agency, in its FIR against Nava Bharat Power, had said in order to “embellish its claim for allocation of coal block”, the firm “fraudulently” claimed that it had the required net worth to get the coal mines.
The CBI had said after allocation of coal blocks, the promoters and shareholders of Nava Bharat Power sold off their entire shareholdings in July 2010 to Essar Power Ltd and its subsidiary company at “huge profit of over Rs 200 crore.”
However, court sources said Essar Power Ltd has not been named as an accused in the charge sheet.
“Enquiry also revealed that officials of the Ministry of Coal in pursuance of criminal conspiracy, wilfully and purposefully, did not scrutinise the aforesaid documents regarding false claims/concealment of facts by Nava Bharat Power and thus facilitated the company in getting undue advantage in allocation of the Rampia and Dip Side of Rampia Coal Blocks,” CBI had said in the FIR.
In its FIR against Nava Bharat Power, the CBI had said the Ministry of Coal had invited applications for allocation of 38 coal blocks, including 15 for the power sector and 23 for the non-power sector, through an advertisement in November 2006.
It said the 38 coal blocks included Rampia and ‘Dip Side’ of Rampia coal blocks in Orissa, having geological reserves of 645.235 MMT, which were to be allocated to the power sector.
CBI had alleged that the Screening Committee recommended allocation of these coal blocks jointly to six companies — Sterlite Energy Ltd, GMR Energy Ltd, Lanco Group Ltd, Mittal Steel India Ltd, Reliance Energy Ltd and Navabharat Power Pvt Ltd for their proposed power plants.
It had said, “The Ministry of Power had recommended allocation of Rampia block to Sterlite Energy Ltd and Vedanta Alumina Ltd and Dip Side of Rampia block to Monnet Ispat and Energy Ltd, Jindal Photo Ltd and Mittal Steel India Ltd.”
“However, Nava Bharat Power had recommendations of the Ministry of Power for allocation of Mandakini coal block in Orissa. The Orissa Government had also recommended Navabharat Power Ltd for allocation of a coal block,” it had alleged.
“Therefore, a regular case is registered under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) of the IPC and 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Nava Bharat Power, its directors viz P Trivikrama Prasad ... Y Harish Chandra Prasad ... along with unknown public servants under the Ministry of Coal and unknown others,” the CBI had said.