Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has once again imposed a fine on former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, this time amounting to Rs 8,000, for repeatedly seeking adjournments in a case related to the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme scam.
This marks the fourth time Koda has been penalised for delaying proceedings.
Koda had approached the High Court challenging the framing of charges against him in a lower court. However, during the hearing on Friday, his lawyer sought more time -- prompting the court’s strong displeasure.
Noting the pattern of repeated delays, the court imposed the fine and scheduled the next hearing for eight weeks later.
Previously, Koda had been fined Rs 1,000 on December 13, 2024; Rs 2,000 on January 17, 2025; and Rs 4,000 on March 1, 2025; each time for requesting adjournments.
With the latest penalty, the total fine now stands at Rs 15,000. The court has directed that all amounts be deposited with the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA).
The case against Koda stems from allegations of large-scale corruption during his tenure as Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He is accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 11.40 crore from a director of Hyderabad-based power infrastructure firm that had been blacklisted.
In return, Koda allegedly awarded the company a tender for electrification works in six Jharkhand districts, including Latehar, Garhwa, and Palamu.
The CBI, which is probing the case, has charged Koda with abuse of power and criminal misconduct. CBI counsel Prashant Pallav represented the agency during Friday's hearing.
The electrification project was part of the Centre’s Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), under which Jharkhand had received Rs 467.76 crore in 2006 to electrify 27,359 villages. The project aimed to directly benefit over 29.26 lakh rural families.
Madhu Koda was previously arrested in the case and spent two and a half years in judicial custody before being granted bail on July 30, 2013.
The present proceedings concern the framing of charges based on the CBI’s charge sheet, which Koda is contesting in the High Court.
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