On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, who sought to have his conviction in a coal block allocation case stayed to allow him to participate in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar rejected Koda’s challenge against a previous Delhi High Court decision, which had also denied his request for a stay on the conviction.
During the proceedings, Koda’s legal counsel argued that the situation had changed since his conviction, claiming that the former chief minister faced a ban on contesting elections due to the ruling.
However, the Supreme Court rejected the arguments as unconvincing, emphasizing that multiple factors influence the evaluation of a stay on conviction.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), represented by Senior Advocate RS Cheema, contested Koda’s claims.
In the plea, submitted through advocate Yoothica Pallavi, Koda contended that the Delhi High Court, in its 18 October decision, failed to recognize the electoral implications of denying him the opportunity to run.
The petition stated, “Single Judge failed to appreciate that the Petitioner cannot be denied an opportunity to contest the election for an indefinite period. Petitioner (Madhu Koda) belongs to Ho Community of Kolhan Region of Jharkhand which is one of the most backward regions of India. The said community is around 10.7 per cent of Scheduled Tribe population of Jharkhand. The people of that region and petitioner will be prejudiced electorally due to refusal to suspend of the conviction of the Petitioner for an indefinite period.”
In 2017, authorities convicted Koda for corruption related to the allocation of the Rajhara North coal block to Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd, sentencing him to three years in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Although he received bail and a stay on the fine in 2018, the Delhi High Court denied his request for a stay in 2020, leaving his conviction intact.
In light of the recent ruling, Koda’s legal team expressed their disappointment, as the former chief minister had approached the High Court again this year, citing new legal and factual developments.
They highlighted that Koda’s criminal appeal had been pending since 2017 without a scheduled hearing date.
As the political landscape shifts in Jharkhand, Koda’s conviction remains a barrier to his political ambitions, leaving questions about his future role in the region’s electoral politics.
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