SC seeks answer as to whether it can deal with seizure of cash

A special Supreme Court Bench on Monday grappled with the question if it could go into the issue of seizure of unaccounted cash worth Rs 25 crore, a diary and other incriminating documents from Aditya Birla Group’s Corporate Office in the national Capital in 2013 after the CBI said it had “no nexus” with coal scam and an NGO countering that stand.

While CBI maintained that the case has to be delinked from the coal scam and considered separately under the ordinary criminal law, NGO ‘Common Cause’ charged the probe agency of washing its hands off by not bringing it to the apex court's jurisdiction, along with main coal scam cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

Taking note of the submissions of both sides, a Bench headed by Justice MB Lokur, sought an answer saying “will it not be expanding our jurisdiction by considering the issue (of recovery of money and diary).” Before posting the matter for September 21, the bench sought to know from CBI counsel and senior advocate Amarender Sharan as to why the case relating to recovery of huge cash and diary from the premises of the group's corporate office during the coal scam case probe, take ordinary course of law.