Feature
Coal case:Four years jail for two JIPL directors
New Delhi:In the first sentencing in a coal block allocation case, a special court here on Monday sent to jail, for four years, two directors of Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd. whom it had convicted of criminal conspiracy and cheating in bagging a coal block, saying “white collar criminals” are “more dangerous” to society”.
Special Central Bureau of Investigation Judge Bharat Parashar awarded four years’ jail terms to JIPL directors R.S. Rungta,79, and R.C. Rungta, 60, and slapped a Rs.5 lakh fine each on them.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs.25 lakh on Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd. (JIPL).
Defining “white collar criminals” as “a person of the upper socio-economic class who violates the criminal law in the course of his occupational or professional activities” and including businessmen, industrialists, entrepreneurs, traders, politicians, bureaucrats or well-qualified professionals, the court said: “Such white collar crimes are in fact more dangerous to the society than ordinary crimes, firstly, because the financial losses are much higher, and, secondly because of the damages inflicted on public morale.”
“Off late the anti social activities of persons of the upper socio-economic strata of the society in their occupation and which have came to be known as ‘white collar crimes’ have attracted attention.
“The average loss from ordinary crimes such as burglaries, robberies and larcenies etc. may run into few thousand rupees only but the loss which the white collar crimes may cause run not only in lakhs but in crores of rupees,” it said.
It added that to find criminality committed by “white collar criminals” is often a difficult task because they are committed after much deliberations and planning undertaken by well trained minds having a higher status in the society.
The court observed that crime committed by “white collar criminals” is due to their greed or lust to acquire maximum material resources in the name of their business, taking benefit of open competition, economy and individual freedom.
“However the inevitable result of all the aforesaid acts is the large scale exploitation of the public by the businessmen and professionals in the course of their occupational activities.”
Noting coal is an important element for the infrastructural and industrial development of a developing country like India, it said such kind of unscrupulous businessmen and industrialists were the reason that “despite 69 years of independence, our country is still lagging behind than most of the countries in the world in industrial/infrastructural development”.
The court last week convicted JIPL and its directors R.S. Rungta and R.C. Rungta for the offence of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, observing that they had “fraudulently” and with a “dishonest intention” deceived the government in allocating the North Dhadu coal block in Jharkhand to the firm.
The Rungtas, who are already in judicial custody, were present in the courtroom when the sentence was pronounced.
Besides this case, 19 other cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are pending before the court, set up to exclusively deal with all the coal scam matters.
Two other cases probed by the Enforcement Directorate are also pending before the court.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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