The Delhi High Court has reserved its verdict on former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s petition. Koda seeks a stay on his conviction in the coal scam case, arguing that this stay is crucial for his participation in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noted that both Koda’s and the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) written arguments have been submitted.
The CBI opposed Koda’s request, arguing it is not maintainable. Senior advocate RS Cheema, representing the CBI, pointed out that the court dismissed a similar petition by Koda in May 2020. The CBI also emphasized that the court had previously stressed the need to decriminalize politics, and no appeal had challenged that ruling.
Previous High Court Ruling
In May 2020, the Delhi High Court had rejected Koda’s request to stay his conviction. The court ruled that allowing Koda to contest elections before full acquittal would be inappropriate. The court cited widespread opinion supporting the disqualification of individuals accused of serious offenses from holding public office.
Koda, along with former coal secretary H.C. Gupta, former Jharkhand chief secretary A.K. Basu, and close aide Vijay Joshi, received a three-year prison sentence from the trial court. They faced convictions for corruption and criminal conspiracy related to the allocation of the Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL), a Kolkata-based company.
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