Coalgate: CBI’s clean chit to Darda, JAS Infra
After nearly two years of probe,CBI has filed a closure report in two Coal block allocation cases, giving a clean chit to Congress MP Vijay Darda and his company JLD Yavatmal Energy Limited as the agency could not find any “evidence” of criminal conspiracy or cheating.
After nearly two years of probe,CBI has filed a closure report in two Coal block allocation cases, giving a clean chit to Congress MP Vijay Darda and his company JLD Yavatmal Energy Limited as the agency could not find any “evidence” of criminal conspiracy or cheating.
Besides JLD Yavatmal, the CBI filed a closure report against JAS Infrastructure Capital Private Limited.
The agency had registered an FIR against these two companies in September 2012 and had also carried searches besides questioning its people including Darda, his son Devendra, brother and cabinet minister in Maharashtra government Rajendra Darda, Manoj Jayaswal and others.
The allegations against Darda and his company, which bagged Fatehpur East Coal Block in Chhattisgarh, was that it had entered into a conspiracy with coal ministry officials and provided wrong information while applying for coal blocks.
In the other case, Nagpur-based businessman Manoj Jayaswal, who had close association with Dardas, his brother Anand Jayaswal and son Abhishek Jayaswal were named as accused in alleged irregularities by JAS Infrastructure and Power Limited.
CBI questions MoS (coal) Narayana Rao
CBI on Monday questioned former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao to ascertain his role in alleged irregularities in the 2005 allocation of Odisha’s Talabira-2 coalfield to private firm Hindalco.
CBI sources said he denied his role in the alleged irregularities.
The agency is set to question former coal secretary PC Parakh this week. Parakh has accused Rao along with his former coal minister Shibu Soren as those responsible for scuttling reforms in the coal ministry. No decision to question Birla has been taken so far, said a CBI source.