Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda appeals to the Delhi High Court seeking stay of conviction in the coal scam case

Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda has again moved the Delhi High Court to stay the verdict convicting him in the coal block allocation scam case. Koda’s plea comes amid his bid to contest the upcoming assembly elections scheduled to be held in November 2024 in Jharkhand. He stated that failure to overturn his conviction would deprive him of the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) rejected Koda’s plea and questioned its viability. The CBI argued that a similar plea had earlier been dismissed by the High Court with a reasoned order. Based on the arguments of both sides, the Delhi High Court issued notice on the matter and convened a hearing on the viability of the petition on August 13, 2024.

Madhu Koda was convicted by the Delhi court in 2017 for criminal misconduct and violations of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. He was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh. However, in 2018, Koda was released on bail and the fine was suspended. Despite his efforts, the Delhi High Court rejected his request to stay the judgment in 2020.

Now, after four years and with a desire to contest the upcoming elections, Koda has once again approached the Delhi High Court citing new factual and legal developments. In his plea, Koda emphasized that his criminal case has been pending since 2017 and the matter is no longer scheduled for hearing despite the passage of four years since the order of May 22, 2020.

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