A Delhi court delivered a significant verdict in a decade-old coal allocation controversy, acquitting former top Ministry of Coal (MoC) officials and executives of Navabharat Power Pvt. Ltd. (NPPL).
The case revolved around allegations that HC Gupta, KS Kropha, and KC Samria, alongside NPPL executives Y. Harish Chandra Prasad and P. Trivikrama Prasad, colluded to secure coal blocks in Odisha through fraudulent claims about NPPL’s financial strength and land holdings.
Special Judge Sanjay Bansal dismissed charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code, emphasizing that the prosecution failed to substantiate claims of conspiracy or misrepresentation. The court highlighted that NPPL’s application was deemed complete and eligible by relevant government bodies, including the Ministry of Power and Odisha’s state government.
“No evidence supports the allegations of a conspiracy or wrongful advantage,” the court observed, absolving all accused of wrongdoing.
The verdict dismantled accusations that NPPL officials misrepresented the company’s net worth and assets, or that MoC officials neglected due diligence. The court underscored that the prosecution could not prove any link between these alleged acts and the allocation decisions.
This ruling follows a contrasting 2023 decision in which the same officials were convicted in a separate coal allocation case and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. That judgment, however, was later stayed on appeal.
The acquittal marks a turning point in one of India’s most high-profile corporate and bureaucratic scandals, signaling the judiciary’s emphasis on substantive evidence over circumstantial allegations.
