A special court on Friday (March 27, 2026) acquitted former MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra Darda and former coal secretary H.C. Gupta in a case related to coal block allocation after finding no evidence to support the charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy or misconduct.
Bringing an end to a high-profile legal battle that spanned over a decade, special CBI Judge Sunena Sharma also acquitted Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and M/s AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited.
The CBI registered more than 50 cases regarding the alleged coal scam.
The present case stemmed from the first chargesheet filed by the federal agency in connection with coal block allocation in Bander in Maharashtra.
According to the prosecution, AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited, in conspiracy with Gupta, submitted false information in its application to the Union Ministry of Coal to secure allocation of the coal block.
