Coal news and updates

For the first time, an ex CBI Director will be tried for corrupt practices during his term as head of India’s premier investigating agency. The Quint has accessed exclusive details of the report prepared by a Supreme Court-appointed panel, which has indicted Ranjit Sinha for attempting to influence the investigation into the coal block allocation scam.

 

According to highly placed sources, the panel report mentions that Sinha tried to dilute charges in the investigation, which involved a senior Congress Party member. Sources also confirmed that of the 15 coal cases probed by the panel, in a number of them, Sinha diluted the charges against the accused or closed the cases altogether.

The petition filed in the Supreme Court said that the entry diary was maintained for 15 months (2013-2014) at the gate of Sinha’s official residence at 2, Janpath, New Delhi. The diary showed that he was having meetings, several of them late at night, at his residence with several accused persons in prominent cases like the coal scam case, 2G scam case, and with hawala operators like Moin Qureshi, without the presence of any investigation officers.

 

The Quint has also learnt from reliable sources that the entry register at Sinha’s official residence in Delhi was informally maintained by security guards.

 

The diary appeared to be genuine. The probe has revealed that it was maintained unofficially on the orders of someone who resided in the same house.

Sources

The CBI initiated investigation on the allocation of 350 coal blocks, of which only 50 were converted into FIRs. According to the sources, out of 300, Sinha played an important role in filing most of the cases.

 

A prayer has been made in the panel report, stating that 300 coal block allocations should be re-investigated. 

The Quint