New Delhi: In a major relief to senior Odisha BJP leader and former Union Minister Dilip Ray, the Delhi High Court today stayed his conviction in a coal scam case allowing him to contest the upcoming elections.
Hearing a petition filed by Ray challenging a 2020 trial court order that had convicted and sentenced him in a coal scam, the High Court stayed the conviction on grounds of the leader’s three-decade-long political career and in view of the ensuing elections in Odisha.
In the petition, the former Odisha MLA had urged to contest the elections to be held in May and serve his constituency and country as well.
“He has a political career running into more than 35 years. As noted above, the elections are to be held in the year 2024, he is 71 years of age, and multiple appeals and cross-appeals have been filed in this case which will take time to be heard and are not likely to be heard and decided in the nearest future. In case, the applicant’s prayer is not allowed, he will lose a chance to contest the election and an irreversible consequence and irreversible damage to his political career and desire to serve his constituency will be caused to him,” said Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma in her judgement today.
On April 5, the court had reserved the verdict on a plea filed by Dilip Ray for stay of conviction by a trial court in a case pertaining to irregularities in allocation of coal block in Jharkhand in 1999.
On October 27, 2020, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the CBI on Ray’s appeal and suspended his three-year jail term.
