In a case involving alleged anomalies in the distribution of a coal block in Chhattisgarh, the CBI has asked a Delhi court to sentence a former employee of the Ministry of Steel to seven years in prison.
On Saturday, the central investigation agency recommended Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj to sentence Gautam Kumar Basak, the former executive secretary of the JPC (Joint Plant Committee), Ministry of Steel, to the maximum punishment of seven years.
The CBI told the court that the convict did not deserve any leniency, claiming he had committed a “very serious offence.”
On August 22, the judge will issue the ruling in the case.
On August 18, the judge found Basak guilty of corruption in the distribution of the Vijay Central Coal Block, marking the 14th conviction in the coal scandal.
The prosecution asserts that Prakash Industries Ltd. was accused of providing misleading information regarding its capacity when it submitted an application for the coal block in January 2007.
Basak had been instructed by the government to investigate the validity of the claim.
The prosecution alleges that the steel ministry official prepared a fraudulent report in 2008 that supported the company’s assertions.
The Delhi High Court had already exonerated the corporation and its director in the matter. The CBI’s appeal against the high court order is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
“Maximum punishment may be awarded to the convict and heaviest amount of fine may be imposed upon him in the interest of justice,” CBI’s Deputy Legal Advisor Sanjay Kumar said in the trial court.
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