A court in Delhi framed charges against industrialist and Congress leader Naveen Jindal and four others in a coal block allocation case, PTI reported.

Special judge Bharat Parashar charged Jindal, Jindal Steel and Power Limited’s former director Sushil Maroo, former deputy managing director Anand Goyal, Chief Executive Officer Vikrant Gujral and the company’s authorised signatory DN Abrol with cheating and criminal conspiracy. The accused appeared before the court on Thursday to sign the order copy formally, ANI reported.

The court set September 30 as the date for commencement of trial in the matter. The case pertains to the allocation of the Urtan North coal block in Madhya Pradesh.

On July 1, the court had ordered framing of charges against the five accused, saying prima facie the company had made incorrect claims before the Screening Committee regarding land and the orders placed regarding purchase of equipments.

Jindal, former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda are accused in another case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand, according to PTI.

The Central Bureau of Investigation’s chargesheet in this case said the the accused had misrepresented facts in its January 2007 application before the Screening Committee to obtain the Madhya Pradesh coal block and thus cheated the Coal Ministry to make wrongful gains. The ministry had issued the allocation letter to the firm in October 2009.