Coal scam: Court to sentence Rungtas on April 4

A special court on Thursday reserved for April 4 its order on the quantum of punishment for Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited (JIPL) and its two directors in a coal block case after the CBI sought maximum jail term for the convicts.

Arguing before special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar, the CBI said the convicts – JIPL and its directors RS Rungta and RC Rungta – had committed economic offences with calculated minds so maximum punishment be given to them.

The convicts, who were held guilty by the court on March 28 on charges including deceiving and defrauding the government to bag a coal block in the state, however, sought a lighter punishment, claiming that no genuine bidder was deprived of his rights due to their acts. “There is nothing on record that any genuine bidder was deprived from his right. We were not in a conspiracy with any public servant, neither we induced anyone to do anything. We have already suffered a loss of over Rs 200 crore,” the counsel appearing for the convicts said.