CBI seeks SC nod to show coal scam report to govt

The CBI wants to share its probe report in the coal block allocation scam with the government and has requested the Supreme Court to modify its order that bars it from doing so.

The CBI wants to share its probe report in the coal block allocation scam with the government and has requested the Supreme Court to modify its order that bars it from doing so.

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The agency, which filed a status report in the case in a sealed cover, on Monday also sought lifting of court restrictions on changing the 33-member team investigating the scam, which has come to be known as Coalgate.

The court will on July 10 take up the status report with the Centre’s affidavit that lists proposals towards granting more autonomy to the CBI.

The SC bench headed by justice RM Lodha had on May 8 ordered CBI director to ensure complete secrecy into the Coalgate probe.

Calling the CBI a “caged parrot” with many masters, the court had restrained the investigating agency from sharing probe details with ministers, law officers, CBI advocates and director of prosecution.

The order came after the agency told the court it carried out changes in the status report at the behest of then law minister Ashwani Kumar before submitting it to the SC in a sealed cover. Kumar had to quit after the revelation.

The agency told the court that the probe was expanding and it required consent of various state governments to conduct further investigations.

Seeking permission to share portions of the probe report with ministers, law officers or its own prosecutors, the CBI said it wanted to apprise its legal officers about the status of investigation since it expected the accused to move court.

The status report has details of the four FIRs registered in the last four months, said a CBI source. One FIR was registered against a former minister of state for coal and an MP, along with five firms, in the allocation of a Jharkhand coal block.

“We have a preliminary enquiry lodged to probe alleged irregularities in coal allocations by state governments in joint ventures. For this probe, we need to share some information with state government,” a CBI source said.