Coal-gate probe: CBI director meets Narayanasamy

Amid a controversy over the probe into coal block allocation, Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Friday discussed various matters related to the functioning of the central investigating agency with Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy.

The meeting held at the minister's North block office assumes significance as it came close on the heels after the

Supreme Court rapped the CBI for sharing its draft coal block allocation probe report with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and two senior bureaucrats.

"The meeting was held to discuss administrative matters related to the CBI after the recent Supreme Court's observations," Narayanasamy told PTI.

Narayanasamy, who is in-charge of the ministry responsible for looking after administrative needs of the CBI, is also understood to have discussed ways to insulate the agency from external interference, official sources said.

The apex court had on Monday asked the government to make an effort to come out with a law before July 10 to insulate CBI from external influence and intrusion.

The sources declined to confirm whether the government was considering to set up an inter ministerial group to check interferences in the working of the CBI.

"I am not aware of any such move," the sources said, referring to media reports in this regard.

The Central Vigilance Commission, meanwhile, has sought a detailed report from the CBI over the Centre's interference in its investigation into the coal blocks allocation scam.

CBI, which is probing irregularities in allocation of coal mine blocks on the direction of CVC, has so far registered 11 FIRs in the matter.

The apex court had on May 6 rapped the CBI, Prime Minister's Office and Coal Ministry officials for changing the "heart" of the coal scam probe report.

The CBI director has admitted before the SC that its status report on the coal blocks probe was shared with the law minister and two joint secretaries, Shatrughna Singh and A K Bhalla, in the PMO and Coal Ministry respectively 

Image: V Narayanasamy

Photograph: B Mathur/Reuters