Coal scam: CBI files progress report on further probe

NEW DELHI: CBI today filed in a special court a progress report of its ongoing investigation in a coal blocks allocation case in which it has chargesheeted Nagpur- based Grace Industries Ltd (GIL) and one of its directors.

The investigating officer (IO) said the matter regarding the alleged roles of public servants and company officials was being investigated and the agency was pursuing it.

"IO states that the matter is being pursued in their office for forwarding to the competent authority. Accordingly, the matter now be put up for progress report of further investigation on February 16," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.

The court had earlier directed CBI to further probe the alleged role and collusion between public servants and company officials observing that functioning of then Prime Minister Office (PMO) officials "does not appear to be above board".

The court had said that when there were specific remarks by then Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao that GIL was "not eligible" for allocation of Lohara (east) coal block in Maharashtra, the PMO officials should have highlighted the same before the file was submitted to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was also the Coal Minister at that time.

CBI had chargesheeted GIL and one of its Director, Mukesh Gupta, as accused for the offence under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC.

The agency, in its charge sheet, has said that sufficient incriminating evidence warranting prosecution of GIL's another Director Seema Gupta or any other public servant involved in the entire process could not come on record.