In the first ever dismissal of the Enforcement Directorate’s proceedings against a private company in the coal block allocation case, a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) appellate tribunal has released the assets of Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and its promoters RC Rungta and RS Rungta stating that the company never received any benefits from the allocation of the coal block, which meant there was no question of it generating “proceeds of crime”.
The tribunal, through its order on September 6, released properties worth over Rs 19 crore belonging to the Rungtas in Jharkhand, which were attached by ED in September 2016 after it alleged that the company received SAM (share application money) from various individuals/companies amounting to Rs 25 crore from 2004-05 to 2008-09 on account of the coal block allocation.
