Coal scam: Naveen Jindal questioned by CBI

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday questioned Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal in connection with its investigation into alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks to his firms.

A CBI spokesperson only confirmed that a summons has been issued to Jindal asking him to appear before it in the next couple of days. But insiders said Jindal had requested that he be questioned on Thursday itself.

Jindal arrived at a CBI guest house, which was fixed as the venue instead of the agency’s headquarters, around 11 am and was there till 5 pm during which he was questioned about the controversial allocation of a coal block to his company Jindal Steel and Private Ltd (JSPL), a source said. CBI had assured the parliamentarian that it will not share the date or the time of the questioning with the media. Manu Kapoor, director for external affairs at JSPL, said the company was “committed to fully cooperate with the CBI”.

The action comes more than three months after the agency registered an FIR on June 11 against Jindal and his company JSPL. The FIR alleges that JSPL and another group firm, Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd, misrepresented facts to bag the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand in 2008.