New Delhi: CBI will provide the case diary and crime file to the special court on Thursday as directed by it, the agency's Director Ranjit Sinha said here today. When asked about the court order, Sinha said, “We will comply with the court order to provide case diary file and crime file (related to probe in the Talabira coal block allocation to Hindalco).”
Top sources in the agency said it is for the court to decide whether they did the right thing by not questioning the then Coal Minister and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. They said the fact is Singh was not questioned. The sources said court can examine all the records and decide from it whether the decision not to question Singh was right or wrong.
“We will follow every order of the court,” an official requesting annonymity said.
Special Judge Bharat Parashar today summoned the case diary and crime file in a sealed cover and posted the matter for November 27.
The court's directions came after CBI submitted that though it initially felt Singh's examination was necessary, later it found that it was not required.
The FIR against Birla, Parakh and others was registered in October last year by CBI which had alleged that Parakh had reversed his decision to reject coal block allocation to Birla's firm Hindalco within months “without any valid basis or change in circumstances” and shown “undue favours”.
CBI had booked Birla, Parakh and other Hindalco officials under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct on part of government officials. The agency had later filed closure report in the case.
Earlier, on November 10, CBI had told the court that there was “prima facie enough material” to proceed against some private parties and public servants in the case. The Supreme Court-appointed special public prosecutor (SPP) R S Cheema for CBI had submitted before the judge that the court can take cognisance of the offences mentioned in the closure report as there was prima facie “evidence against the accused to show their involvement”.
