Coal pilferage case: CIL chairman appears before Special CBI court

The chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL), PM Prasad, appeared before the Special CBI Court in Asansol on Tuesday and gave his testimony in connection with the alleged Rs 1,300 crore coal pilferage case under the jurisdiction of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).

The main accused, Anoop Majhi alias Lala, along with Joydeb Mondal, Narayan Kharka and others, were also present during the hearing in the Special CBI Court.

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Special CBI Court judge Arindam Chatterjee stated that the next hearing of the case is scheduled for 29 August. The 28th witness is expected to testify on that date.

Sekhar Kundu, the defence counsel representing the accused, argued that it is essential for the head of the relevant authority to grant sanction to the CBI to investigate government officials. As the head of the coal company, the CMD of CIL, PM Prasad, had to authorise the investigation. However, Mr Kundu questioned how such approval could be given without a thorough review of the case details.

In response, CBI counsel Rakesh Prasad asserted that the CMD was fully aware of the matter and had given a clear go-ahead to file the FIR and proceed with the investigation against senior ECL officials suspected of involvement in coal pilferage.

Earlier, the director (Personnel) of CIL had also appeared before the court in relation to the case.

The CBI had previously arrested several senior ECL officers, including those holding the rank of CGM. All of them are currently out on bail.

Charges have already been framed in the Special CBI Court, naming 48 individuals. One accused remains absconding, while another has passed away.

The coal theft case, for which the CBI lodged an FIR in November 2020—just months ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections—had triggered a major political uproar in the state at the time.