Coal scam: Court issues non- bailable warrant against JIPL's director R C Rungta

NEW DELHI: A special court today issued non- bailable warrant (NBW) against Director of Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd ( JIPL), R C Rungta, an accused in a coal blocks allocation case, for his failure to appear before it during the hearing.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar was irked that neither R C Rungta appeared before the court nor his main counsel was present during the hearing to move an application seeking exemption from personal appearance for his client.

"Accused R C Rungta is absent and proxy counsel Brijesh Pandey states that the main counsel Rajiv Mohan will be coming to move an exemption application for accused R C Rungta. This is no ground either to wait for the accused or for the counsel or to permit any exemption from personal appearance in such a manner," the court said.

"Accordingly, I deem it appropriate that NBW be issued against accused R C Rungta with notice to his surety. Put up on April 29 for appearance," the judge said.

JIPL's Director R C Rungta and R S Rungta along with the firm are accused of securing allotment of North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand allegedly on the basis of false and forged documents.

Both the Rungtas' were granted bail by the court earlier after they had appeared before it in pursuance to summons issued against them.

Besides these three, two other persons - Ramabatar Kedia and Naresh Mahto - were also summoned as accused in the case but both of them have died and the proceedings against them were abated by the court.

During the hearing today, the court allowed a plea filed by advocate representing accused R S Rungta seeking exemption from personal appearance for his client for the day only.

The court had on March 16 framed charges against JIPL and both the Rungtas' for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating and using a forged document as genuine.

In its charge sheet, CBI has alleged that it had found in the probe that JIPL had "grossly misrepresented" a number of aspects before the Ministries of Steel and Coal to inflate their claim, thereby inducing Coal Ministry officers and the screening committee to allocate the coal block to them.