The CBI and the Centre were at loggerheads on the coalgate scam in the Supreme Court today with the agency pointing out irregularities in the coal block allocation during UPA-I tenure and the Government vehemently refuting the allegations.
In a status report filed by CBI in the scam, the agency said that the coal block allocation during 2006-09 was done without verifying the credentials of companies which allegedly misrepresented facts about themselves.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha, which went through the report filed in a sealed cover, said that the report prima facie alleges irregularities, but the Attorney General G E Vahanvati aggressively hit back on the finding saying, ‘CBI is not the final word on this’.
Vahanvati, however, clarified that the Government has no problem with CBI probe and pleaded the court to supply him with some part of the probe report on which he would respond.
‘I am not trying to pre-empt the inquiry. I have no problem with it. Let CBI probe the allocation,’ the AG said.
In a status report filed by CBI in the scam, the agency said that the coal block allocation during 2006-09 was done without verifying the credentials of companies which allegedly misrepresented facts about themselves.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha, which went through the report filed in a sealed cover, said that the report prima facie alleges irregularities, but the Attorney General G E Vahanvati aggressively hit back on the finding saying, ‘CBI is not the final word on this’.
Vahanvati, however, clarified that the Government has no problem with CBI probe and pleaded the court to supply him with some part of the probe report on which he would respond.
‘I am not trying to pre-empt the inquiry. I have no problem with it. Let CBI probe the allocation,’ the AG said.