Coal Scam: CBI To File Further Probe Report By September 28

A special court on Wednesday asked CBI to file a report by September 28 on its further probe in a coal scam case involving Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, ex-Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao, former Coal Secretary HC Gupta and others.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar granted time to the probe agency on its plea that investigation was going on in the matter and more time was required to file the report. On September 2, the CBI had filed a report in a sealed cover which included statements of certain persons recorded during the course of further investigation.

The court had earlier allowed CBI's plea that they needed to probe the case further in light of certain disclosures made by a chartered accountant, Suresh Singhal, who had sought the court's nod to turn approver. The court had also allowed Singhal's plea for pardon and ordered deletion of his name from the list of accused.

CBI had earlier alleged that ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, also accused in the case, had favoured Jindal group firms – Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Ltd (GSIPL) – in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand. CBI had also claimed that the accused had conspired with each other to get the allocation of the coal block in favour of the two Jindal group firms.

Opposing CBI's contention, all the accused had said there was no evidence which showed that they were in any conspiracy during the coal block allocation process. They had also denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI in its chargesheet.