The CBI on Wednesday handed over closure reports of 20 Preliminary Enquiries in the coal scam to the Central Vigilance Commission for scrutinising whether the cases can be closed or charge sheets need to be filed.
The delay in handing over the files was due to completion of all legal formalities and whether any of the documents used in these cases was required for some other case under investigation with the agency. The CBI has, so far, registered 18 FIRs in connection with its probe in the coal scam.
CBI sources said that files were sent in a sealed envelop to CVC which, in turn, will analyse and give its report to the Supreme Court within four weeks.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha had directed the CBI to place documents of all 20 cases within five days before the CVC for its perusal and the corruption watchdog was asked to file its report in four weeks. Wednesday was the last day of the apex court deadline.
The court had asked the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and two Vigilance Commissioners to give their suggestions whether the cases can be closed or CBI can go ahead with the filing of charge sheets in them.
DIG Ravi Kant Sharma, who supervises the coal scam probe along with other two officers of the same rank, had told the bench that he had given opinion for filing charge sheets in two cases in which the agency has filed closure reports on Thursday.
CBI director Ranjit Sinha had welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court and had said the agency had done its job diligently and “we are open to whatever suggestions are made by CVC to the Supreme Court”.
