SC forms SIT to probe charges against ex-CBI Chief in coalscam

The bench said Special Public Prosecutor for coal scam cases, senior advocate R S Cheema, would assist the CBI director and his team on legal issues relating to the matter.
Former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha (File | PTI)
Former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI:In a big jolt to former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of India (CBI) to initiate probe against him for allegedly influencing coal scam probes.

“A prima facie case can be made against him,” the court said while refusing to express any opinion on the veracity of the allegations.

A bench led by Justice Madan B Lokur asked new CBI director Alok Verma to constitute a special investigation team to probe Sinha.

The court further added that it trusted CBI for conducting an impartial and fair investigation and that there was no need to set up a probe team outside CBI in view of the change in guard. Verma was appointed on January 19.

The bench also asked the investigating agency to take Central Vigilance Commission along in conducting the probe and also sought assistance of special prosecutor R S Cheema, the special prosecutor in the coal block allocation cases at the Special Court.

The order came on the plea filed by Common Cause, NGO led by advocate Prashant Bhushan alleging that entries in the visitor’s diary of Sinha’s residence showed that he met with several people accused in the coal scam while CBI was conducting its investigation. He was the special director of the CBI at that time.

The apex court in September 2015 appointed a team led by former CBI special director M.L. Sharma to probe if “investigations conducted by the CBI have been influenced in any manner by Ranjit Sinha in respect of the accused in the coal block allocation case.”

In 2014, the Supreme Court cancelled the allocation of more than 200 coal blocks, finding the process arbitrary and illegal.

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