The CBI on Wednesday told a special court here hearing a coal block allocation case that the central government had accorded sanction to prosecute two senior public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act.The CBI told Special Judge Bharat Parashar that it has received the sanction order from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to prosecute K.S. Kropha, the then joint secretary, and K.C. Samria, the then director (coal allocation-I section), both in the coal ministry.The probe agency told the court that the request for sanction for prosecution was sent to the DoPT in pursuance of the court's earlier order in two cases.The court was hearing two coal block allocation cases, one against Navbharat Power Pvt. Ltd. (NPPL) and Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd. (KSSPL).The court fixed July 28 for further hearing in both cases.
One case pertains to alleged irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Rampia in Odisha to NPPL. A charge sheet was filed last year against NPPL and its officials on the charge of misrepresenting facts, including inflated net worth, to acquire the coal block.The court on November 12, 2014, directed the probe agency to further investigate the matter, observing that the act of the then senior officials of the coal ministry in overlooking alleged misrepresentation by the NPPL for acquiring the coal block prima facie amounted to criminal misconduct.The second case pertains to allocation of Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to KSSPL.