Coal blocks allocation case: Subodh Kant Sahay gets clean chit from CBI

NEW DELHI: Former tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay may have got a clean chit in a coal blocks allocation case from the Central Bureau of Investigation. Nearly two years after allegations against Sahay, CBI registered three cases against SKS Ispat and Power on Tuesday.

The allegation was that the company’s initials matched with the former minister’s name and media reports alleged documents showed his brother Sudhir Sahay was a director in the company.

However, a CBI FIR names neither Subodh Kant Sahay nor his brother. Those booked are promoters of the company, Anil Gupta and Deepak Gupta. “No link of Subodh Kant Sahay has been found with the said company. He has no stake in the company. His brother’s name does not feature as a director of the company as per Registrar of Company records. The company’s initials matching the former minister’s name was also a misnomer.

Further investigation may however throw up new facts,” a senior CBI official said. The CBI FIR alleges the Chhattisgarh-based company misrepresented on aspect of preparedness and was ineligible on aspect of net-worth in order to bag the allocation of Fatehpur coal block, Vijay Central coal block and Rawanwara coal block in the state.

It had earlier emerged that Sahay had written a letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting the PM’s “personal intervention” regarding the company application for coal blocks and later his brother had attended a screening committee meeting in the capacity of a director.