SIT, not CBI, should probe coal scam: Santosh Hegde

Anti-corruption crusader and former Karnataka lokayukta justice Santosh Hedge has called for a thorough investigation of the Rs. 1.86 lakh coalgate scam by the SIT. HT reports.

Anti-corruption crusader and former Karnataka lokayukta justice Santosh Hedge has called for a thorough investigation of the Rs. 1.86 lakh coalgate scam by the SIT.

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In an interview to news channel Zee News, Hegde said a fair probe cannot be expected from CBI: "Entries show payments have been made to the CBI, so how can a fair probe be expected from the CBI. There are some fair officers in the CBI but the number is low, SIT should be made for a quick time-bound programme."

Hegde said material available in the public domain was enough to show that politicians made recommendations in the allocation of coal blocks and that 'auction' of coal blocks in the public interest could be a definite option.

"Recommendations by politicians, gutka and cassette manufacturers, etc for coal blocks show that they were in it to make money."

On the series of successive scams unfolding across the country, Hegde said: "Unless you have a drastic change in bureaucratic and judicial system, the future looks bleak."

"To understand this we have to look backwards. Bofors was R64 crore... then 2G and now we have the coalgate in which the CAG has said that the loss to the exchequer was Rs. 1.86 lakh crore."

On Monday, anti-graft campaign leader Anna Hazare in an interview to Zee News had demanded life term for those involved in the coalgate scam and asked the government to get to the bottom of the scam.