The CBI on Tuesday submitted its first chargesheet in the coal smuggling case to a special court of the central agency in Asansol, 20 months after it had started the probe.

In its 149-page chargesheet, the CBI has named 41 persons, including main accused Anup Maji aka Lala, his alleged henchmen Vinay Mishra, Vikash Mishra, Ratneswar Verma, Gurupada Maji, Joydeb Mandal, Nirod Mandal, and Narayan Kharka; and eight present and past ECL officials who were recently arrested.

The CBI also named a dozen private coal mining companies and 10 other firms in the chargesheet.

CBI sources said several private coal mining companies and other firms, mostly steel and iron factories, had allegedly used to purchase smuggled coal from Anup and his henchmen.

Gurupada Maji, Joydeb Mandal, Nirod Mandal and Narayan Kharka had earlier been arrested but are out on bail now. Vinay Mishra, Ratneswar Varma and Anup Maji are absconding. Vikash Mishra and the eight present and past ECL officials are now in judicial custody.

The ECL officials had initially been remanded in CBI custody for five days. The CBI custody ended on Monday when the special court in Asansol sent them to jail custody for 14 days.

The Enforcement Directorate had recently attached properties worth Rs 15 crore of Vinay Mishra, Anup Maji and Joydeb Mandal in the case. The CBI had started the investigation in November 2019. The names of several Trinamul Congress leaders and police officers cropped up in the case.

The CBI had already interrogated Trinamul MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife and some police officers. The agency did not name any ruling party leader or police officer in the first chargesheet.

Sources said while interrogating the ECL officials, the CBI had got the names of some police officers who were posted at Raniganj and Jamuria police stations between 2018 and 2020 and had introduced Anup to the ECL officials.

“We will summon them soon for cross-verification and interrogation,” said a CBI source.