E-Paper
Coalgate: Court refuses to accept CBI conclusions, orders probe
Noting that he had actively misrepresented facts in a letter written to then PM Manmohan Singh, a special court on Thursday ordered further probe into the cheating and corruption cases arising out of the coal scam against Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, and others.
Noting that he had actively misrepresented facts in a letter written to then PM Manmohan Singh, a special court on Thursday ordered further probe into the cheating and corruption cases arising out of the coal scam against Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, and others.
This is the third case in which the court has refused to accept the investigating agency’s conclusions. On the same day, while hearing a separate case against a Nagpur-based firm, it also ordered further probe against then coal secretary H C Gupta and two other government officials whose conduct prima facie was “detrimental” to the public interest.
Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar asked the CBI to file its progress report on both probes on December 19.
Saying closure of the case against Darda “could not be accepted”, the special judge pointed out there was enough evidence on record to show that the MP had “actively participated in misrepresenting” facts about who the promoters of JLD Yavatmal Energy Pvt Ltd were, and further lied about the company’s net worth before then PM Manmohan Singh and other forums.
These misrepresentations helped Darda obtain a favourable order from the coal ministry allocating the Chattisgarh coal blocks JLD, said the court.
He also made “clear misrepresentations at different forums” said the court. The goal of these misrepresentations was to “induce the Government of India to allot yet another coal block to it,” the court noted.
According to it, “If such information would have been disclosed then any investigation about their (JLD) performance with respect to earlier coal blocks allotted would have affected allotment of any new coal block to them.
