Supreme Court Rejects Madhu Koda's Appeal in Coal Scam Case

The Supreme Court has dismissed former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda's plea to stay his conviction in a coal scam case, disqualifying him from contesting upcoming state polls. Koda was convicted in 2017, along with others, for corruption in coal block allocation. Polling begins November 13.

The Supreme Court has rejected the plea of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda to stay his conviction in a high-profile coal scam case. The verdict effectively bars Koda from participating in the forthcoming state assembly elections. This decision upholds the October 18 ruling by the Delhi High Court.

Koda's conviction dates back to December 2017, when he, along with former coal secretary H C Gupta, former Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu, and Koda's aide Vijay Joshi, was sentenced to three years imprisonment. The charges were for corruption and criminal conspiracy in allocating the Rajhara North Coal Block to Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Limited.

Despite being convicted, the defendants, including Koda, were granted bail pending their appeal. The penalties included fines of Rs 50 lakh for VISUL, Rs 25 lakh for Koda, Rs 1 lakh for Gupta, and an additional Rs 1 lakh for Basu. The assembly elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, with results to be declared on November 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)