Coal scam case: White-collar crimes tough to detect, more dangerous to society, observes Delhi court

A special court in Delhi, while dealing with the involvement of bureaucrats in a coal scam case, observed on Wednesday that detection of criminality is a tough task in white-collar crimes committed by well-trained minds who hold high status in the society. 

The court, which convicted and awarded two-year jail sentence to former coal secretary HC Gupta and two senior government officials KS Kropha and KC Samaria, said white-collar crimes were more dangerous to the society than ordinary crimes for the damage they inflicted on the public morale. 

Special judge Bharat Parashar also noted that "of late, anti-social activities of persons of the upper socio-economic strata of the society in their occupation, known as 'white collar crimes', in which financial losses caused are much higher, have attracted attention." 

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Deliberating on white-collar criminals, the judge said they are persons of the upper socio-economic class who violate the criminal law in the course of their occupational or professional activities.

"It is also true that to find criminality in such acts committed by white-collar criminals is often a difficult task primarily because they are committed after much deliberation and planning undertaken by well-trained minds having a higher status in the society."

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Besides the three bureaucrats, the court had also imposed a fine of Rs one crore on convicted private firm Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd, while its managing director Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia was awarded a three-year jail term by the court.

The case related to the irregularities in the allocation of the Thesgora-B Rudrapuri coal block in Madhya Pradesh to the firm.