By NewsGram Staff Writer

New Delhi: Court granted bail to Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, coal ex-secretary H.C. Gupta and others in a coal block allocation case.

The bail was granted by Special Judge Bharat Parashar to Darda, his son Devendra Darda, Gupta, coal ministry officials K.S. Kropha and K.C. Samria, and JLD Yavatmal Energy Ltd. Director Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, on the furnishing of personal bonds of Rs. 1 lakh each and surities of the like amount.

All of the accused had appeared as the court had issued summons against them on July 31. The court took cognizance of the case, which was filed on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a closure report but the court had refused to accept it, and had asked the CBI, on November 20 last year, to probe into the matter further and file a progress report, and the agency did so.

The CBI in its FIR stated that JLD Yavatmal wrongfully concealed previous allocation of four coal blocks to its group companies in 1999-2005. But in its closure report the CBI claimed that even if this information had been revealed, it would not have disqualified the companies from getting coal blocks.

With inputs from IANS