Ex-coal secy gets 3-year jail term, but out on bail

New Delhi: A Delhi court Wednesday sentenced former coal secretary HC Gupta to three-year imprisonment in a coal block allocation scam case during the UPA regime. Two other bureaucrats – KS Kropha and KC Samria – were awarded three-year jail term. The three bureaucrats were also fined `50,000 each. They were later granted statutory bail as the jail term was below four years. Special Judge Bharat Prasar sentenced other convicted persons Vikas Patni, MD of Vikash Metals and Power Limited (VMPL), and its authorised signatory Anand Mallick to four-year jail term. The court also imposed a fine of `25 lakh on Patni and `2 lakh on Mallick. They were sent to jail.