CBI gets sanction to prosecute 2 IAS officers in coal scam

NEW DELHI: The government has allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI) to prosecute two senior Indian Administrative Service officers for their alleged role in the coal blocks allocation scam, the investing agency told a special court on Wednesday.

The two officers are Kuljit Singh Kropha, former joint secretary in the coal ministry, and Kailash Chand Samaria, former director in the ministry.

After going through the sanction order placed by the CBI in two of the allocation cases, the court fixed July 28 for order on “cognizance”.

The two cases pertain to alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks in Rampia in Odisha to Navbharat Power and Thesgora-B Rudrapuri block in Madhya Pradesh to Kamal Sponge Steel Power Ltd.

The CBI had in January sought the permission to prosecute the two officers.

Kropha, a 1982 batch IAS officer, was in the coal ministry from 2005 to 2010. He has since moved back to his cadre. Samaria, a 1993 batch officer, was in the ministry between 2006 and 2011. He is now a joint secretary in the health ministry.