The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to look into an NGO’s allegations of interference in the investigation of the coal block allocation scam by former CBI director Ranjit Sinha. “We have to take a call. Either, we have to agree with you [CBI] or with him [NGO’s counsel making allegations],” a Bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur orally observed.
The plea for an independent probe into Mr. Sinha’s alleged role was made by NGO Common Cause, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan. The court also agreed to hear an application filed by Mr. Sinha accusing the NGO and Mr. Bhushan of perjury. Mr. Sinha’s counsel Vikas Singh argued that the allegations were “false and malicious.”
In a prepared note submitted to the court, Mr. Bhushan submitted that entries in the visitors’ register at the official residence of Mr. Sinha had shown that he was meeting high-profile accused persons and those associated with coal block allocations, such as Vijay Darda, his son Devendra and former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay. Senior advocate Amarender Sharan for the CBI countered that the contents of Mr. Bhushan’s note were factually incorrect.
Mr. Bhushan replied that the allegations could be independently verified by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Public Prosecutor in the coal block cases who can submit a report on his findings before the court.
