New Delhi: Former chief minister Madhu Koda, held guilty with two others for favouring a Calcutta firm while allocating a coal block in 2007, pleaded for leniency before a special CBI court on Thursday on account of failing health.

Justice Bharat Parashar heard him and the others and scheduled sentencing for Saturday.

Wearing a blue striped shirt, grey bundi and matching trousers with turquoise blue canvas shoes, Koda told the court that he had high blood pressure and diabetes, and that there was no one besides his wife Geeta Koda (Jagannathpur MLA) to take care of his daughters aged nine and one.

Koda, who was chief minister from 2006 to 2008, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy under section 120(B) of IPC and criminal

misconduct under section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act by the CBI court on Wednesday for allocating the Rajhara North coal block in Palamu to Calcutta's Vini Iron and Steel Udyog.

Among the others convicted were the firm, former Jharkhand chief secretary Ashok Kumar Basu and former Union coal secretary Harish Chandra Gupta. The firm is represented by Koda associate Vijay Joshi, who is son-in-law of Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit,

Basu, flanked by his wife, also claimed leniency on health grounds, saying he has had a heart surgery and his son lived abroad leaving only him to take care for his wife. Others claimed leniency on similar grounds-Gupta said his son was still studying and Joshi claimed that his daughter may get married soon.

Koda has spent four years in prison in other cases of corruption, including money laundering, and is now out on bail.

Gupta is also on bail after being convicted for a similar offence while allocating a coal block in Madhya Pradesh.