Coalscam: Delhi Court frames additional charges against Naveen Jindal, others

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NEW DELHI: A Delhi court framed additional charges of abetment of bribery against industrialist Naveen Jindal and others on Thursday for alleged money laundering in a case pertaining to irregularities in allocation of a Jharkhand coal block.

Earlier, Special Judge Bharat Parashar directed the accused persons to appear before the court on October 15.

In its final report, filed through special public prosecutor N K Matta and advocate Tarannum Cheema, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that Jindal's firm - Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) - along with others influenced the screening committee during allocation of the coal block by investing more than Rs 2 crore in illegal gratification.

The court had summoned the Congress leader and few others including Jindal Steel and Power Ltd's then adviser Anand Goel, Mumbai's Essar Power Ltd's Executive Vice-Chairman Sushil Kumar Maroo, Nihar Stocks Ltd's Director BSN Suryanarayan, Mumbai-based KE International's Chief Financial Officer Rajeev Aggarwal and Gurgaon-based Green Infra's Vice-President Siddharth Madra.

Those arrayed as accused also include K Ramakrishna Prasad, Rajiv Jain and Gyan Swaroop Garg as well as six companies -- JSPL, Gagan Sponge Iron Ltd, Jindal Realty Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd, Sowbhagya Media Ltd and Nihar Stocks Ltd.

The case, filed under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) pertains to the allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.

With agency inputs