CBI against summoning Manmohan in coal case

The court, after hearing the submissions, reserved its order on Mr. Koda’s plea for October 16.

The CBI on Monday opposed an application for summoning the former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, as an accused in a coal block case.

Opposing the former Jharkhand Chief Minister, Madhu Koda’s application for summoning Dr. Singh, who was then holding the additional charge of the Coal Ministry, as an accused, CBI counsel told a special court that the application had no merit.

Mr. Koda is an accused in the case. The CBI has alleged that the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand was allocated to Jindal Steel Power Limited and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Limited in an illegal manner.

The former Minister of State for Coal, Dasari Narayan Rao, also supported Mr. Koda’s plea, arguing that the Prime Minister’s Office had allocated the coal block to the two companies after examining the matter.

Mr. Koda has also sought summoning of the former Energy Secretary, Anand Swaroop, and the then Mines and Geology Secretary, Jai Shankar Tiwari. The investigating agency opposed this plea as well.

The case records even prima facie did not suggest that the former Prime Minister was part of any conspiracy in the allocation of the coal block to the two companies, the CBI counsel submitted.

Submitting before Special Judge for coal block cases, Bharat Parashar, the CBI counsel said the application was a device to delay the trial.