NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed a progress report in the ongoing investigation into the illegation allocation of the captive coal blocks in a sealed cover before the special court.
The CBI also sought two weeks’ time to complete its probe in the case, allegedly involving former Coal Secretary P C Parakh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others.
During the hearing, the court opened the sealed cover and perused the statements and documents filed by the CBI, but later ordered that the documents be again kept in a sealed cover on the CBI prosecutor’s request.
“The progress report of further investigation has been filed along with statements of various persons as recorded during the course of further investigation in a sealed cover, besides some other documents,” Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.
“The sealed cover has been, however, opened and I have perused the statement of the persons recorded and documents thereof. It is directed that the statements and the documents be kept in a sealed cover and be sealed with the seal of the court,” the judge said.
The court will now hear the case on February 19.
The progress report was filed in pursuance to the court’s December 16, 2014 order directing the CBI to examine former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and some top PMO officials, including then Principal Secretary to the PM T K A Nair and the then private secretary B V R Subramanyam.
The case pertains to allocation of Talabira II coal block in Orissa to M/s Hindalco in 2005.
The CBI had earlier lodged an FIR against Birla, Parakh, M/s Hindalco Industries Ltd and other unknown persons for the offences under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Central Bureau of Investigation then filed a closure report in the case opining that no criminal offence was committed by any of the persons involved in the entire process of allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.