New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday filed its first charge sheet in the coal block allocation scam case against the Navabharat Power Pvt Ltd and its two directors here.
The CBI named the Hyderabad-based private company and its two directors, P Trivikrama Prasad and Y Harish Chandra Prasad, as accused in the case.
They were formally charged in court under various sections dealing with cheating and criminal conspiracy.
The charge sheet was filed before Special CBI Judge Madhu Jain, who posted the matter for March 27 as the next date of hearing.
According to sources, the CBI has not filed its complete documents related to the charge sheet. The documents will be filed later, the sources added.
The CBI has not booked the accused under corruption related charges in the charge sheet. However, in the FIR lodged on September 3, 2012, the investigating agency booked them under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI said in order to “embellish its claim for allocation of coal block”, the Navabharat Power Pvt Ltd “fraudulently” claimed that it was having the required net worth to get the coal mines.
Subsequently, Rampia and Dip-side Rampia coal blocks were jointly allocated to six companies including the Navabharat Power Pvt Ltd.
The agency added that inquiry also revealed that officials of the coal ministry in pursuance of criminal conspiracy, wilfully and purposefully, did not scrutinise the aforesaid documents regarding the false claims/concealment of facts by the company.
Further probe is being made into the role of public servants, if any, in the case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday reprimanded the Central Bureau of Investigation over delay in filing the charge sheets in five cases relating to the coal scam in which its investigations are already over.
“This is too much. You can’t do it. Ultimately it has to be finished by you, then why delay,” said a bench of Justice R M Lodha, Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph as senior counsel Amrendra Saran appearing for CBI sought four weeks’ time to file the charge sheets.
“You sought time... we gave (it to) you. You sought lawyers, we gave you. We gave you everything you wanted, then why this delay,” asked the court as Saran told the court that the charge sheets were needed to be vetted and it would take four weeks’ time.
“If you decide, you will do it... Mr Saran, if you give your full time, then everything will be done,” the court said as counsel Prashant Bhushan reminded the court that during the previous hearing of the matter (February 10), the CBI had said that six charge sheets were ready and would be filed shortly.
The court said this in the course of the hearings of PILs by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma and NGO Common Cause seeking the cancellation of coal blocks that were allocated irregularly by the central government.
Describing the delay as deliberate, Bhushan, who appeared for Common Cause, contended that the investigating agency was trying to take the entire matter beyond the Lok Sabha elections.
Attributing his statement to credible inside sources, Bhushan said the filing of the charge sheet was “just being delayed at the top (level of the CBI)”. Giving CBI two weeks’ time till March 28, when the court will hold further hearing into the matter, Justice Lodha told Saran that if investigating agency would not act with promptitude then “next course will be to ask the Central Vigilance Commissioner to vet the report”.
The court said it is yet holding its hand because it feels that so far the investigating agency has done a good job.
The court expressed its disapproval of the CBI’s pace as in the hearing on February 10, it had granted the investigating agency three weeks time to file the charge sheets.
The court also issued notice on the central government’s application seeking directions to CBI to share some of the information of its investigation on Hindalco. The notice is returnable in two weeks.
Agencies
