Coal news and updates

CBI to confront Jindal with ex-coal secretary

The CBI will question Congress MP Naveen Jindal again in the Coalgate scam and he is likely to be confronted with former coal secretary H C Gupta, sources said. Jindal, during his questioning last week, denied all allegations against him. CBI sources said certain questions related to the allocation done to his company JSPL will be put to him in the next round of questioning.

There are allegations against Gupta that he had favoured Jindal's company, which would also be clarified in the next round of questioning.

Jindal has been booked along with former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao and screening committee members for alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy in bagging Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand in 2008.

Before summoning Jindal for questioning, CBI had questioned some Jharkhand government officials, screening committee members, former coal secretary Gupta and other officials of coal and power ministries. Rao was named as an accused in an FIR by CBI in which it was alleged that he had received Rs 2.25 crore camouflaged as investment from one of Jindal's firms within a year of allocation of a coal block to him.

CBI sources said Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge Iron Limited, also a Jindal firm, had bagged Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand in 2008 by alleged misrepresentation of facts when Rao was minister of state for coal. Reacting to the FIR, head of external affairs, JSPL, Manu Kapoor had said, "JSPL, as a law abiding company, is governed by a strong ethical code of conduct. This is an ongoing CBI investigation into coal block allocation. At this stage of investigation, JSPL is committed to fully cooperate with CBI."
 

Source: The Times of India