New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed a trial court order imposing a fine of Rs 50 lakh on a Kolkata-based iron and steel company in connection with a coal scam case.
Justice Anu Malhotra put on the hold till January 22, the next date of hearing, the special CBI court's order to deposit the fine. The high court's interim order came on the appeal of the company, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd's (VISUL), which has sought waiver of the costs.
The high court also sought response of the CBI on the company's plea seeking setting aside of the trial court's December 16 order convicting it in the coal scam case.
"The trial court order is stayed on parity with the other convict's appeal," the court said. The company, in its plea, has said that the special court had wrongly found them guilty of the alleged scam.
The high court on December 20 had sought response of the CBI on an appeal by former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi against the trial court's order awarding him three years jail term in the case.
While admitting his appeal against conviction and jail term, the court had suspended the sentence of Joshi till the pendency of his appeal and had granted him bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount.
Koda, ex-coal secretary H C Gupta, A K Basu, former Jharkhand chief secretary, and Joshi were awarded jail terms of three years for indulging in corrupt practices and hatching a criminal conspiracy in the allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to the Kolkata-based company.
While confirming his bail, the high court had directed Joshi not to leave the country during the entire pendency of his appeal. It had also stayed till January 22, the next date of hearing, the payment of the Rs 25 lakh fine imposed on Joshi by the special court.
The trial court had directed the convict to deposit by January 3 the fine amount and had suspended his sentence till February 18 to enable him to appeal before the superior court.