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Coal Scam: More than 250 closed PEs under CVC scanner

The Central Bureau of Investigation closed nearly 250 preliminary enquiries or PEs in the coal scam against as many companies including some of India's leading firms, before the Supreme Court stepped in and asked the Central Vigilance Commission to vet all these closures, ET has learnt.

CBI director Ranjit Sinha had told ET on July 15 that the investigating agency would lodge 14 fresh FIRs after the CVC recommended this upon studying 64 PEs referred to it by the agency. A day later, a senior government official said this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

"Almost 250 PEs were closed by the CBI till the apex court stepped in a few months ago. Of these, 182 are already under scrutiny of the CVC and nearly 70 more closed PEs are in the process of being submitted to the CVC for vetting," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the agency might have to lodge many more FIRs once the vetting of all 250 closed PEs by the CVC was complete.

The CBI closed PEs against some top companies of the Aditya Birla group, Tatas, Jindals and the Anil Ambani's Reliance Group that were allotted coal blocks, the official said. The CVC has, however, agreed with the CBI's decision to close PEs against the first three companies, the official added.

"There is no evidence that the three companies of Birla, Tata and Jindal group had misrepresented any fact to get coal blocks. These PEs against HindalcoBSE 1.18 % and Jindal's companies are regarding different coal block allocations than the ones which are under probe at the CBI as part of the FIRs lodged against them," the official said.

Source: The Economic Times