“We make it clear that ML Sharma is entitled to summon any person in the inquiry,” a special Bench of Justices MB Lokur, Kurian Joseph and AK Sikri said, while ordering that he will have access to all documents required for the probe.
The Bench, which asked the former CBI officer to submit the report of <g data-gr-id="20">inquiry</g> in three months, accepted his requirement of three retired police officers and two support staff for carrying out the job.
The Apex Court asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to make sure that the authorities concerned provide him with all the required facilities like office space and transport at the earliest.
The Bench said it would fix the remuneration for Sharma and others on November 16, after knowing the exact nature of work likely to be done by them, as Sharma himself has declined to make any demand.
A letter written by Sharma to the Attorney General about the names of officers and secretarial staff required by him was taken on record after all sides agreed to his proposal. Sharma, who had emerged as the first choice of the Apex Court, had given his consent to assist the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in its probe against Sinha and agreed to its request to reconsider the demands for remuneration and infrastructure.
The court had on September 7 said the scope of inquiry was limited to recording the statements of people accused in the coal scam to draw an inference whether the investigation into the cases were in any way influenced or interfered with, as suggested by the CVC.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, which has accused Sinha of scuttling the probe, had submitted that it was a serious matter, which could not be probed by either the CBI or the CVC and should be entrusted to people having experience in the investigation. The former CBI officer had on July 6 emerged as the first choice of the Supreme Court to assist the CVC after the anti- corruption watchdog said it did not have its own investigating arm.