Coal Scam: Three-Year Jail Term For Former Union Minister Dilip Ray

New Delhi: The Special CBI Court here on Monday sentenced former Union Minister Dilip Ray to three years of imprisonment in the 1999 Jharkhand coal scam.

Ray was Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Coal during Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 1999 and this case pertains to allocation of 105.153 hectares of abandoned Brahmadiha coal block in Giridih in Jharkhand to the Castron Technologies Ltd (CTL).

Two other senior officials of the then coal ministry — Pradip Kumar Banerjee and Nitya Nand Gautam and CTL director Mahendra Kumar Agarwalla and Castron Mining Ltd (CML) — convicted in the case have also been awarded 3-year jail term each.

On October 14, Special Judge Bharat Parashar had reserved the order on their sentencing after hearing arguments from the counsel of the convicts and the CBI, which had sought life term for Ray.

Notably, the court on October 6 had convicted the former Union minister for criminal conspiracy in connection with the coal block allocation.

Ray along with others was found guilty of offences under Sections 120-B and 120-B/409/420 of IPC and Sections 13 (1) (c) and 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.