CBI today filed a progress report of its ongoing investigation in a sealed cover before a special court in a coal blocks allocation scam case, in which the agency was directed to “examine” former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The agency also filed statements of various persons recorded during the probe in a sealed cover and 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 CBI, but later ordered that the documents be again kept in sealed cover.
Senior public prosecutor V K Sharma requested the court that till completion of further investigation, the statements or documents filed by the agency today be kept in sealed cover and may not be allowed for inspection.
“Progress report of further investigation has been filed alongwith 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.
After the CBI informed the court that they would complete their ongoing probe within two weeks, the judge fixed the case for hearing on February 19.
“The matter be now put up on February 19 for filing progress report of further investigation,” the court said.
The progress report was filed in pursuance to the court’s December 16, 2014 order directing the agency to examine Manmohan Singh and some top PMO officials, including Singh’s then Principal Secretary T K A Nair and then private secretary B V R Subramanyam.
Nair was also earlier examined by the agency but the court had noted in its order that it would be “appropriate” if the CBI re-examines him.
The case pertains to allocation of Talabira II coal block in Orissa to M/s Hindalco in 2005
