CBI is likely to examine soon Hindalco chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh, who are named as accused in the FIR related to Talabira coal block allocation to Hindalco, as it wants to expedite probe.
Asserting that there is nothing wrong in allocation of coal blocks, former Union Coal Secretary Prakash Chandra Parakh on Wednesday said if the Central Bureau of Investigation considers a conspiracy in this case then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh should be held equally responsible being the final decision maker.
Former top bureaucrats have come out in support of ex-coal secretary P C Parakh, who has been named by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the coal blocks allocation scam, warning that harassment of honest officers will erode the government's credibility and stop senior officers from taking decisions.
Probe into alleged irregularities in allocation of Talabira-II coal blocks has gained momentum as CBI has started questioning top executives of Aditya Birla Group and were likely to quiz former Coal Secretary P C Parakh next week.
Former Coal Secretary P C Parakh apparently failed to specify any "public good" on file notings when he reversed his earlier position of rejecting Hindaclo's application for coal block in Odisha.
A special court on Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to clarify whether "rule of law" was followed in allocation of coal blocks to top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla's Hindalco.
The FIR relates to allocation of Talabira II and III coal blocks in 2005.
After a 10-month probe, the Central Bureau of Investigation has decided to file a closure report in the coal block allocation case involving industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh as the agency could not find any evidence in this matter.
The agency filed the report before Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar and said that it contains a detailed report of investigation being carried out in the case.
A special court on Friday asked the CBI as to what was the "hurry" in filing a closure report in the coal blocks allocation case in which it had earlier lodged an FIR against top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others.
It wasn't Kumar Mangalam Birla alone; the Hindalco mine allocation turned the spotlight on the PM and the Odisha CM.
The judge summoned Birla as one of the accused in the case.
Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot intoned, "Recent incidents will certainly dampen business confidence and investment sentiment, both domestic and foreign; and perhaps also negatively affect decision making by bureaucrats and policy makers."
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh were summoned.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started scrutinising the file received from the Prime Minister's Office on coal block allocation to Hindalco to understand the circumstances on the basis of which the earlier decision to reject the company's application for the same was reversed.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik may be questioned by CBI for writing a letter of support in favour of Hindalco, an Aditya Birla group company, after its bid for coal mines was rejected by coal ministry.
The special court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation if the then coal minister was examined by it in a coal scam case involving Kumar Mangalam Birla and others.
The Central Bureau of Investigation was on Tuesday directed by a special court to record statements of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was holding charge as Coal Minister in 2005, and others in a coal blocks allocation scam case allegedly involving top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed a fresh status report in a sealed envelop in the Supreme Court on coal block allocation scam giving details of the ongoing probe in which companies, business tycoons and bureaucrats have come under its scanner.
I-T will now ask the company to produce documents and validate the source of the recovered cash.
Dr Singh said he was upset but expressed confidence that truth will prevail in a fair trial.
The Central Bureau of Investigation will question at least two former officials of the Prime Minister's Office who were involved in the processing of the file related to coal block allocation to Hindalco.
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An advocate on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation to name Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in its FIR filed against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh in a coal block allocation case.
Dr Manmohan Singh's role in the sordid saga of the Coal Allocation Scam was always Delhi's worst-kept secret; calls for his interrogation will mushroom after he was named by P C Parakh, says T V R Shenoy.
In an apparent U-turn, the Central Bureau of Investigation, which had filed a closure report in a coal blocks case involving industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary P C Parakh and others, on Monday told a special court there was enough evidence against the accused to take cognisance of offences.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a progress report of its further investigation in the coal blocks allocation scam case allegedly involving former Coal Secretary P C Parakh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others, in a sealed cover before a special court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation could question Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of coal block to Hindalco as he had written a letter to the Coal Ministry after application of the Aditya Birla company was rejected in 2005.
A change in recommendation in favour of Birla did certainly happen but the question is whether it was a bona fide decision. Jyoti Mukul reports
Former PM Manmohan Singh moved the SC against a special court order summoning him as accused in coalgate case.
Coming to the defence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal on Thursday said he does not need a certificate of honesty from anyone.
The court said that it would now consider the CBI's final report
The Central Bureau of Investigation has questioned T K A Nair, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks, which included granting of a block to Hindalco at Talabira despite it being rejected by a screening committee of the coal ministry.
Manmohan said he will get a chance to put forward his case with all the facts and expressed confidence that the truth will prevail.
In the wake of the 2G acquittals, here are a few high-profile cases in which question marks were raised by various courts over the CBI's probe.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to file its status report in the coal scam before the Supreme Court on Tuesday stating details of its 14th FIR against Hindalco and others and also progress in the remaining 13 cases.
Five others, including one retired and another serving public servant -- K S Kropha and K C Samria -- were held guilty for various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Enforcement Directorate to file by February 8 the status report on its probe into coal scam for suspected money laundering and foreign exchange rules violations.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the summons to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 5 others by a trial court over the coal scam.
A court asked for further investigation into an illegal coalfield allocation case involving Hindalco Industries on Tuesday, rejecting an earlier report from the CBI that said the probe was likely to be closed.
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Crony capitalism will of course generate investment and ensure profit for private capital, but it won't give employment or income to the people. If you can make money by selling coal or speculating in land, why produce electricity, why invest in research and development, why even set up factories, asks Praful Bidwai.
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