Bengal coal smuggling case: Framing of charges completed at special court

Kolkata: The process of framing charges against 49 individuals in the coal smuggling case in West Bengal was completed on Tuesday at a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Asansol in West Burdwan district.

With the process of framing charges being completed against the accused, the trial process in the matter will start soon.

On Tuesday, one of the key accused in the case, Vikas Mishra was presented virtually at the special CBI court. He is currently in judicial custody in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act case registered against him by the city police.

The POCSO case was registered against Vikas based on a complaint filed by the wife of his elder brother Vinay Mishra, another key accused in the coal smuggling case and also a former youth Trinamool Congress leader.

Vinay has been absconding for a long time and it is perceived by the officials of the central investigative agencies that he is currently staying at Vanuatu Island having taken his citizenship there and surrendering his Indian citizenship.

On Tuesday, Vikas was virtually presented at the special CBI court from Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata where he is housed now.

In fact, November 25 was earlier fixed as the day for framing charges in the coal smuggling case. However, it was postponed till December 10, since Vikas could not be presented at the court on the day as he was then in police custody.

The 49 individuals against whom the process of framing of charge has been completed include top officials of Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. Arup Majhi a.k.a. Lala, who is currently released on bail, is another prime accused in the case.

Besides the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a parallel probe into the coal smuggling case.