Coal scam cases: Court allows Naveen Jindal to travel abroad

NEW DELHI: Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, an accused in two coal scam cases, was today allowed by a special court here to travel abroad for business purposes.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar accepted the plea filed by Jindal seeking the court's permission to visit London, Germany and other places from June 7 to July 6.

The court, however, imposed certain conditions on him.

Jindal, a former MP, has been asked to inform the investigating officer and the court of the details of the places visited within seven days of his return to the country.

"He shall not tamper with evidence, nor try to influence any witness in any manner and will not use the permission granted to him contrary to the rules," the court said.

Jindal had earlier been granted bail by the court after imposition of several conditions.

Besides Jindal, the CBI had chargesheeted former Union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, former coal secretary H C Gupta and 11 others in a case of alleged irregularities in the allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand to Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Ltd (GSIPL).

The CBI recently filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case naming five more persons as accused, including Jindal Steel's adviser Anand Goel.

The agency has also filed another charge sheet against Jindal and five others, including Goel, for allegedly cheating the government by misrepresenting facts to bag the Madhya Pradesh-based Urtan North coal block. They have been summoned to appear in the court as accused on September 4.