News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

This article was first published 10 years ago
Rediff.com  » News » CVC to meet CBI chief over missing coal scam files

CVC to meet CBI chief over missing coal scam files

Source: PTI
August 27, 2013 16:21 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

The Central Vigilance Commission has convened a meeting with Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha to discuss the missing files with details of coal block allocations.

"A meeting has been fixed with the CBI director on the matter (of missing coal blocks allocation files) with the CVC," said Vigilance Commissioner R Sri Kumar.

Srikumar said the Commission will discuss in detail the issue and accordingly decide on the future course of action.

The meeting has been fixed for early next week, official sources said.

The Commission will ask the CBI whether the missing files were hampering or going to hamper its investigation in the case, the sources said.

The CBI had on August 14 written a letter to the coal ministry, stating that 225 files and documents relating to coal blocks allocation cases had still not been handed over to it by the ministry. This included 167 files pertaining to the pre-2004 era, when the National Democratic Alliance was in power.

The CBI has said that these files and documents were necessary for concluding the probe against various firms booked by the agency for alleged manipulation and concealing of facts.

The coal ministry had requested the CBI to scrutinise the files already seized by them as the missing documents could be annexed to these files.

The CVC, which exercises superintendence over the CBI to oversee probe in corruption cases, had in May last year asked the agency to look into matter of coal blocks allocated to private companies between 2006 and 2009. The CBI is looking into the allocation of coal mines post-1993 to ascertain any wrongdoing during the NDA regime.

The CBI has registered three preliminary inquiries and 13 FIRs in the case so far.

The move came up after Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had earlier said that some files related to coal block allocations were missing.

Following Jaiswal's remarks, BJP has targeted the government and paralysed Parliament over the issue and demanded a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The coal ministry had then hurriedly formed a committee to look into the matter.

Bowing to the demands of an agitated opposition, the coal minister had on Friday made a detailed statement in Rajya Sabha over the issue, saying, "It would be wrong to classify any file or document as missing at this stage when an inter-ministerial committee is actively engaged in locating these papers".

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: PTI© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
 
India Votes 2024

India Votes 2024