Coal news and updates

The CBI has not found any criminality in the allocation of some coal blocks and might recommend closure of inquiry in such cases in the next hearing in the Supreme Court on November 26. 

 

Sources said the investigating team did not find any evidence of irregularity in many coal block allocations out of 195 under probe against several private companies and PSUs which were allocated blocks since 1993, suggesting that CBI is close to winding up the coal scam probe. CBI sources said they will leave let the apex court decide whether to file FIRs in these cases. 

 

On the 14 FIRs registered, including the controversial case against Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary P C Parakh, CBI is yet to take a decision on investigation. 

 

The agency is probing allocation of 195 coal blocks which are covered under three preliminary enquiries registered by it -- allocation between 2006 and 2009, allocation between 1993 and 2004 and projects given under government dispensation scheme. It has also registered 14 regular cases in which prima facie corruption has been detected. 

 

The agency also found during its preliminary enquiries that a number of blocks were allocated as per norms and there was no corruption involved, sources said. 

 

The sources said CBI will give a list of such blocks to the Supreme Court on November 26 with a request that further probe into these allocations could be closed as there was no criminality involved. However, they said a final view would be taken by the Supreme Court. 

 

Sources said the CBI will also submit an affidavit on its autonomy in the backdrop of government's stand that no further powers could be given to the agency. The agency is demanding the powers of a secretary in the government of India for its director but these demands were turned down by the government through an affidavit filed in the SC last week. 

 

The CBI chief has powers equivalent to the director general of a paramilitary force. CBI wants enhanced powers for smooth administrative functioning. 

 

In its affidavit in the coal blocks case filed last week, the Centre had said such powers would have a deleterious effect on criminal justice system and it would be bad in law if such demands were met which would result in "vesting unbridled power in one authority". 

 

Source: ToI