CBI shared coal report with law minister: Ranjit Sinha to SC

Director, CBI submits affidavit in apex court saying report was shared with PMO and law ministry, as was "desired by them"

PTI | April 26, 2013



Setting off a political bombshell, CBI director Ranjit Sinha on Friday submitted before the supreme court that the agency's status report on coal allocation scam was "shared" with law minister Ashwani Kumar "as desired by him" and that senior officials of PMO and coal ministry had also seen it.

Sinha's two-page affidavit filed on the direction of the apex court contradicts the claim made by CBI counsel on the last date of hearing that the coalgate scam report was not shared with any member of the government.

"I submit that the draft (status report)of the same was shared with law minister as desired by him prior to its submission before the supreme court....it was also shared with one joint secretary level officer each of prime minister's office and ministry of coal as desired by them," the affidavit said.

Related story

Law Minister says he has done no wrong, govt rules out resignation

Under Opposition attack over the CBI affidavit on the coal scam issue, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar today said he had done "no wrong" and got support from the government which ruled out his resignation.

"I have done no wrong. Truth will prevail," he said after a meeting of UPA chaired by Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Kumar, whose sacking is being demanded by the Opposition parties, also met the Prime Minister to give his version on the issue. He also met Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath separately.

"There is no question of his resignation. He is not going to resign," Nath told reporters here after the meeting when asked whether Kumar had offered to resign.

With regard to the CBI affidavit, he said, "It is for the court to decide."

Suggesting that there was no wrongdoing by Kumar, he said CBI has stated that only the draft report was shown to the Minister and not the final report.

To a question why the officials of PMO and the Coal Ministry were also present during the CBI meeting with the Law Minister, he said the contents of the report were to be provided by the Coal Ministry and the Prime Minister had held the coal portfolio for some time.

"The legal aspect is looked into by the Law Minister," he said.

He spoke to media after Gandhi and the Prime Minister held consultations with UPA leaders in the wake of CBI affidavit filed in the Supreme Court earlier in the day.

In the affidavit, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha said the agency's status report on coal allocation scam was "shared" with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar "as desired by him" and that senior officials of PMO and Coal ministry had also seen it.

Nath said the UPA meeting also discussed the logjam in Parliament for the last four days and the ways to end it.

"We discussed how Parliament can function from next week through better coordination. The UPA Chairperson held discussions with the allies. The discussion centred on non- functioning of Parliament and unacceptable demands by some political parties. We discussed what can be done so that Parliament can function from next week," he said.

Sources close to Kumar said there was nothing wrong in a government department consulting the Law Minister on a legal issue. They also said there have been such instances in the past when CBI has consulted the Law Minister on important issues.

They also indicated that a meeting with CBI did not mean the CBI report was altered.

On BJP's demand for resignation of the Prime Minister, Nath said, "They put forth this demand every three months."

Comments

 

Other News

Here’s an I.D.E.A. for career growth and success

Success in today’s professional organisation is no longer solely determined by academic qualifications, technical expertise or years of experience. While these attributes do matter, organisations increasingly value individuals who demonstrate the right mindset and behavioural qualities. The ability

PM interacts with CEOs, founders of space startups

Prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs and Founders of 20 Space Startups at Seva Teerth on Friday.   CEOs of leading companies in the space sector working in diverse fields ranging from building rockets and reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicles, avionics, satelli

From one cow to a dairy business

In 2012, Anita Dash wasn`t dreaming of building a dairy brand. She wasn`t studying business models or planning market expansion. Like countless mothers across India, her focus was on something much simpler: giving her children a better future.   At the time, her most valuable

Ethanol blending: The two sides of a story

India`s crude oil consumption is estimated to be around 88.5% imported from abroad. This one single figure is also responsible for why ethanol has become both an economic strategy and fuel policy at the same time. In an economy like India, which depends so heavily on foreign oil, any increase in internat

Food inflation: Not a macroeconomic statistic but a developmental indicator

India`s retail inflation shows a reassuring picture at first glance. According to the latest data, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation edged up to 4.38% in June 2026 from 3.93% in May 2026, but continued to remain within the Reserve Bank of India`s (RBI) target band of 4% (+/- 2%). However, beneath this

Skin in the game or masterful market timing?

When a company founder opens their personal chequebook to buy shares in their own business, stock markets usually applaud. To the average retail investor, it feels like the ultimate vote of confidence, a sign that the people running the show have real skin in the game and believe brighter days are ahead.

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter