Shared coal probe report with govt: Ranjit Sinha

CBI director Ranjit Sinha filed an affidavit in SC on Friday, admitting to sharing CBI’s last status report on the coal scam with the law minister and with the joint secretaries of PMO and coal ministry; while assuring the court that it would not share future status reports, Bhadra Sinha reports.

CBI director Ranjit Sinha filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Friday, admitting to sharing CBI’s last status report on the coal scam with the law minister and with the joint secretaries of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and coal ministry; while assuring the court that it would not share future status reports.

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“In respect of further status reports of the investigation and inquiry required to be filed in this matter before this court, I undertake and assure this court that the same shall not be shared with any political executive,” he stated in the affidavit.

Sinha also affirmed not sharing the latest status report with any political executive. The CBI director’s explanation follows the SC directing him to affirm that the status report filed in the court on March 8 was vetted by him only.

CBI’s previous status report was contrary to the government affidavit, as it had prima facie found discrepancies in the allotment of coal mines.

This isn’t the first time the CBI has been left red-faced due to political interference.

In 2009, the SC had slammed the agency for withdrawing its application to file a probe report in the disproportionate assets case against Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at the behest of the UPA government.

“You (CBI) are acting at the behest of Centre... You are not acting on your own,” the bench had told the agency.

Meanwhile, the agency is set to file a First Information Report against a private firm in the coal scam. The FIR would be the 11th to be filed by the CBI in the case.