CBI prepares ground for closing Coalgate cases
14 Jan 2014 12:21 AM GMT
Their fresh status report, submitted before the Supreme Court on Monday, is reported to have mentioned that they have not found any criminality or irregularities in allocation of 60 coal blocks.
CBI sleuths submitted the report in a sealed envelope and it is expected that the Supreme Court might have a look on the report on 15 January. ‘Soon a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha will hear the PILs on Coalgate for their verdict,’ CBI sources said. The investigating agency has claimed that after going through most of the records and files they ‘found no ill practice’ in the allocation of nearly 60 coal blocks. They may move to take permission from the court to shut down the case.
Probing 195 coal blocks allocations, the CBI had found ‘at first sight’ evidences against 16 blocks which indicated cheating, criminal misconduct and corruption based on which the agency had registered the FIRs against AMR Iron and Steel Pvt. Ltd, JLD Yavatmal Energy Ltd, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd, JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt. Ltd, Vikash Metals and Power Ltd, Grace Industries Inc, Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, Rathi Steel and Power Ltd, Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd, Green Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd, Pushp Steels and Mining Pvt. Ltd, Hindalco Industries Ltd, BLA Industries Pvt. Ltd, Castron Technologies Ltd. and Castron Mining Ltd.
All these FIRs were based on three preliminary enquiries related to the Coalgate between 2006 and 2009, 1993 and 2004, and projects given under the government dispensation scheme. There are two other preliminary enquiries which are related to missing files. There were allegations that the company directors and unknown government servants entered into a conspiracy of ‘give and take’ with an understanding of undue favours including misrepresenting the facts to obtain coal blocks.
On Monday, they told the court that so far no evidence has surfaced which shows criminality or intentional act on part of coal ministry officials to withhold files from the investigating agency. ‘Any charge sheet or closure report would only be filed after the Supreme Court’s directives,’ CBI sources said. The allegation over the CBI’s complacent attitude in the probe in to the scam had come under sharp criticism of the court, which had said the agency was still in the ‘first gear’ and needed to pick up speed.
‘You have to pick up some speed. You are still driving in the first gear. Yours is a huge task and all these need to reach a logical conclusion,’ a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha had said.
Among prominent persons reportedly accused in the coal block cases are Congress MPs Vijay Darda and Naveen Jindal, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh. Coalgate first came in lime light in March 2012 when the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) accused the union government of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner.
TARREDÂ BY COAL
Among prominent persons reportedly accused in the coal block cases are Congress MPs Vijay Darda and Naveen Jindal, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh.
CBI sleuths submitted the report in a sealed envelope and it is expected that the Supreme Court might have a look on the report on 15 January. ‘Soon a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha will hear the PILs on Coalgate for their verdict,’ CBI sources said. The investigating agency has claimed that after going through most of the records and files they ‘found no ill practice’ in the allocation of nearly 60 coal blocks. They may move to take permission from the court to shut down the case.
Probing 195 coal blocks allocations, the CBI had found ‘at first sight’ evidences against 16 blocks which indicated cheating, criminal misconduct and corruption based on which the agency had registered the FIRs against AMR Iron and Steel Pvt. Ltd, JLD Yavatmal Energy Ltd, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd, JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt. Ltd, Vikash Metals and Power Ltd, Grace Industries Inc, Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, Rathi Steel and Power Ltd, Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd, Green Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Ltd, Pushp Steels and Mining Pvt. Ltd, Hindalco Industries Ltd, BLA Industries Pvt. Ltd, Castron Technologies Ltd. and Castron Mining Ltd.
All these FIRs were based on three preliminary enquiries related to the Coalgate between 2006 and 2009, 1993 and 2004, and projects given under the government dispensation scheme. There are two other preliminary enquiries which are related to missing files. There were allegations that the company directors and unknown government servants entered into a conspiracy of ‘give and take’ with an understanding of undue favours including misrepresenting the facts to obtain coal blocks.
On Monday, they told the court that so far no evidence has surfaced which shows criminality or intentional act on part of coal ministry officials to withhold files from the investigating agency. ‘Any charge sheet or closure report would only be filed after the Supreme Court’s directives,’ CBI sources said. The allegation over the CBI’s complacent attitude in the probe in to the scam had come under sharp criticism of the court, which had said the agency was still in the ‘first gear’ and needed to pick up speed.
‘You have to pick up some speed. You are still driving in the first gear. Yours is a huge task and all these need to reach a logical conclusion,’ a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha had said.
Among prominent persons reportedly accused in the coal block cases are Congress MPs Vijay Darda and Naveen Jindal, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh. Coalgate first came in lime light in March 2012 when the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) accused the union government of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner.
TARREDÂ BY COAL
Among prominent persons reportedly accused in the coal block cases are Congress MPs Vijay Darda and Naveen Jindal, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh.
Next Story
