The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed its displeasure at Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sharing its status report on the coal block allocation scam case filed in the apex court with law minister Ashwani Kumar and officials of Prime Minister’s Office and coal ministry, with the apex court being kept in dark on it. The court said that it showed total ‘erosion of faith’ that the court had reposed in CBI.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on coal block allocation, the court observed that even after 15 years of the Vineet Narain judgement to make CBI independent, the political clout still frustrates its impartiality. The bench comprising of Justices R M Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurien Joseph said, ‘The first thing we have to do is to liberate CBI from extraneous considerations, political influence, intrusions and other interference’.
The court added that the affidavit of CBI director Ranjit Sinha, which was filed in compliance of its order dated 12 March 2013 that the status report dated 8 March 2013 submitted in the apex court was vetted by him and nothing contained therein has been shared with the political executive, has brought out a ‘very disturbing feature’ and the very foundation of the investigation process has been ‘shaken’. The bench has asked a series of clarification from the CBI director and has been directed to file a fresh affidavit giving clarification on the queries raised by the court.
The court has asked following questions – one, why in the status report dated 8 March 2013, no disclosure was made to the court that the draft report has been shared with the political executive; two, how Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval had made an assertive statement on 12 March that the status report was not shared with anyone; and three, why in the 26 April affidavit, the CBI director did not give details about changes made in the draft report and at whose instance, besides Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and two senior officials of PMO and coal ministry, were the changes made.
The court has also asked CBI to give detailed service profile of officers of DIG and SP ranks investigating the coal block allocation scam case, to disclose the names of two officials, one each of PMO and Ministry of Coal, with whom the draft report was shared as ‘desired by them’ and to give details of the manual and guidelines on the issue of sharing of status report in cases in which reports are called for by the courts.
The court has given CBI time till 6 May for filing a fresh affidavit by the CBI director and the matter will be heard on 8 May by the apex court.
WHAT THE COURT SAID
I AM PART OF GOVT, SAYS RANJIT SINHA
Under fire from the Supreme Court over sharing the coal scam probe report with the political executive, CBI director Ranjit Sinha today maintained that the agency was not an ‘autonomous organisation’ and that he had not shown it (report) to any outsider but to the law minister of the country.
‘I am a part of the government. I am not an autonomous body. I have not shown it to any outside person. I have shown it to the law minister of the country.
I will inform the Supreme Court about any situation arising out of that. The decision o CBIf Supreme Court will be acceptable,’ he told reporters.
He was asked about the observations of the apex court that sharing of information with the government about the probe into the scam has ‘shaken the entire process’ and CBI need not take instructions from ‘political masters’ on their probe. Sinha, in an earlier interaction with reporters during the day admitted that changes were made in the draft report and he gave the full details to the Supreme Court. (Agencies)
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on coal block allocation, the court observed that even after 15 years of the Vineet Narain judgement to make CBI independent, the political clout still frustrates its impartiality. The bench comprising of Justices R M Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurien Joseph said, ‘The first thing we have to do is to liberate CBI from extraneous considerations, political influence, intrusions and other interference’.
The court added that the affidavit of CBI director Ranjit Sinha, which was filed in compliance of its order dated 12 March 2013 that the status report dated 8 March 2013 submitted in the apex court was vetted by him and nothing contained therein has been shared with the political executive, has brought out a ‘very disturbing feature’ and the very foundation of the investigation process has been ‘shaken’. The bench has asked a series of clarification from the CBI director and has been directed to file a fresh affidavit giving clarification on the queries raised by the court.
The court has asked following questions – one, why in the status report dated 8 March 2013, no disclosure was made to the court that the draft report has been shared with the political executive; two, how Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval had made an assertive statement on 12 March that the status report was not shared with anyone; and three, why in the 26 April affidavit, the CBI director did not give details about changes made in the draft report and at whose instance, besides Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and two senior officials of PMO and coal ministry, were the changes made.
The court has also asked CBI to give detailed service profile of officers of DIG and SP ranks investigating the coal block allocation scam case, to disclose the names of two officials, one each of PMO and Ministry of Coal, with whom the draft report was shared as ‘desired by them’ and to give details of the manual and guidelines on the issue of sharing of status report in cases in which reports are called for by the courts.
The court has given CBI time till 6 May for filing a fresh affidavit by the CBI director and the matter will be heard on 8 May by the apex court.
WHAT THE COURT SAID
- An SC bench observed there was a ‘very disturbing feature’ in the affidavit filed on 26 April by CBI director Ranjit Sinha and the agency must be restored to its independent position
- Sinha had said agency’s status report on coal allocation scam was ‘shared’ with law minister and senior officials of PMO and coal ministry ‘as desired by them’
- The apex court said that sharing of information with the government about probe into the scam has ‘shaken the entire process’
- ‘Our first exercise will be to liberate the CBI from political interference,’ the bench said
I AM PART OF GOVT, SAYS RANJIT SINHA
Under fire from the Supreme Court over sharing the coal scam probe report with the political executive, CBI director Ranjit Sinha today maintained that the agency was not an ‘autonomous organisation’ and that he had not shown it (report) to any outsider but to the law minister of the country.
‘I am a part of the government. I am not an autonomous body. I have not shown it to any outside person. I have shown it to the law minister of the country.
I will inform the Supreme Court about any situation arising out of that. The decision o CBIf Supreme Court will be acceptable,’ he told reporters.
He was asked about the observations of the apex court that sharing of information with the government about the probe into the scam has ‘shaken the entire process’ and CBI need not take instructions from ‘political masters’ on their probe. Sinha, in an earlier interaction with reporters during the day admitted that changes were made in the draft report and he gave the full details to the Supreme Court. (Agencies)