The company, which has steel, mining and infrastructure businesses, said its consolidated net profit after tax increased to 19.28 billion rupees ($232 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, from 5.18 billion rupees a year ago.

The robust performance was supported by lower raw material costs as benefits from captive thermal coal mines materialised, it said in a statement. Its sales and services revenue fell 6.3% to 137.56 billion rupees.

Jindal Steel's commissioned coal mines helped the company meet its thermal coal needs, offsetting the brunt of higher costs of key steelmaking raw material - coking coal in the quarter, analysts had said.

Input costs fell 3% to 48.06 billion rupees in the December quarter.

Earlier this month, larger rival JSW Steel reported a five-fold rise in December-quarter profit on strong domestic demand.

Shares of Jindal Steel had settled 1.5% higher ahead of results.

($1 = 83.0170 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)