Major Verdict in Jharkhand's High-Profile Bitumen Scam: Company Director Sentenced to 3 Years; Junior Engineer Acquitted Due to Lack of Evidence
Ranchi. A special CBI court has delivered a significant verdict in Jharkhand's high-profile bitumen scam case. The court of Special CBI Judge (First) Yogesh Kumar convicted Dilip Kumar Singh, Director of Classic Coal Construction Private Limited, sentencing him to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional four months of imprisonment.
The case dates back to 2010 and relates to the Chakradharpur-Kharsawan road construction project. It was alleged that over ₹2.08 crore was illegally withdrawn from the state exchequer through 47 fake invoices, which claimed the purchase of 607.39 metric tonnes of bitumen without any actual procurement taking place.
The irregularities were exposed by the then Executive Engineer, Vinod Kumar; subsequently, the CBI registered an FIR on February 16, 2010, and filed a charge sheet following the investigation.
During the trial, Public Prosecutor Khushbu Jaiswal presented a strong case on behalf of the CBI, supported by documents and witness testimonies. Accepting these arguments, the court found Dilip Kumar Singh guilty. Meanwhile, the then Junior Engineer, Suresh Sharma, was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
