New Delhi: Madhu Koda was on Saturday sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment with Rs 25 lakh fine for corruption while allocating a coal block in Palamau district to a Calcutta-based firm in 2007, when he was chief minister, but he requested the judge for leniency pointing out that all his bank accounts were frozen.

Former Jharkhand chief secretary A. K. Basu and former Union coal secretary H. C. Gupta were also sentenced to similar jail terms but fined Rs 1 lakh each.

Convicted company Vini Iron and Steel Udyog was fined Rs 50 lakh, but its director Vijay Joshi got a jail term and fine equivalent to what Koda received. All were convicted on Wednesday of criminal conspiracy under section 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code and of criminal misconduct under section 13(1) of The Prevention of Corruption Act by a special CBI court in Delhi.

All the accused were granted bail for 60 days on a bond of Rs 1 lakh each, in order to appeal to Delhi High Court, on condition they pay their fines by January 3.

While all convicts agreed to the date, Koda requested for leniency on grounds that he could not access his bank accounts. Justice Bharat Parashar replied, "I am accepting your bail bond only on compliance with the conditions... It is up to you."

His wife and Jagannathpur MLA Geeta Koda's election affidavit in 2014 revealed assets of a crore each of her and her husband. His daughter Darshani, now 9, had jewellery worth Rs 30 lakh in her name.

After the trial, Koda who sported a tilak told reporters, "I will try and get a loan from friends to pay the fine."

Immaculately dressed in a suit and tie, Gupta told this paper, "Bail may be a relief for others but for me this conviction is no relief."