Coal news and updates

In a setback for CBI director Ranjit Sinha, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to him on a plea seeking his removal from the post and an SIT probe against him for allegedly protecting accused in coal block allocation scam.

 

The Supreme Court sought Ranjit Sinha's response and asked why an SIT investigation should not be initiated against him for allegedly trying to derail court monitored coal block allocation probe.

 

The apex court has asked the CBI director to file response in 10 days and posted the matter for further hearing on September 19.

 

The Supreme Court was inclined to restrain the CBI director from taking any decision in coal scam case till September 19 but did not pass any formal orders after vociferous protests from senior advocates Amarendra Saran and Vikash Singh.

 

The court was surprised by the allegations against the CBI director and recounted that it had tried to ensure through its orders that no one took any arbitrary decision to close any coal scam case.

 

Advocate Prashant Bhushan of Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) has alleged that CBI chief was diluting probe in 2G and coal scam cases, which are being monitored by the Supreme Court.

 

Earlier on Monday, Supreme Court brushed aside CBI director Ranjit Sinha's plea for dismissal of a petition alleging he had 'undesired' visitors at his official residence and asked him to respond within a week to the demand for his recusal from probe and prosecution of cases relating to 2G spectrum scam.

 

 

The apex court bench, headed by Justice H L Dattu, which is monitoring the 2G scam case, had directed Sinha to come out in "black and white" on averments made against him for allegedly entertaining scam-tainted visitors at his official residence, saying that it is a "serious" issue. 

"Allegations have been leveled against me on the basis of a register which is unofficial, which nobody knows who maintained it and it is full of inconsistencies," Sinha told TOI.

 

 

Source: ToI