CBI defends Manmohan Singh in a coalgate case, blames ex-coal secretary HC Gupta

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday defended former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a coalgate case saying former coal secretary HC Gupta, an accused in another case involving former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and others, had concealed facts from Singh.
Arguing on framing of charges in the case, the agency told a special court that Gupta had allegedly concealed from Singh that Jharkhand had not recommended Kolkata-based Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL) for allocation of a Chhattisgarh coal block.The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the allocation of Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand to VISUL.
The agency's submission assumes significance as Gupta had dragged Singh's name on Wednesday saying Singh, being the then coal minister, had the ultimate power to allocate the coal block. Pertinently, the special court had earlier summoned Singh and some others as accused in a separate coal block allocation case, an order later stayed by the Supreme Court.
"Gupta did not highlight in the file sent to the Minister of Coal (Singh) that VISUL was not recommended by the state government but AK Basu (then Jharkhand chief secretary and an accused in the case) had insisted in the meeting of screening committee that VISUL should be given the block," CBI prosecutor told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar on Friday. The prosecutor further said, "He (Gupta) did not write it in the file. Gupta did not mention it in the noting sent to the Minister of Coal. He concealed this fact from the Minister of Coal."
The agency said that Koda, Basu and two other accused bureaucrats conspired to favour VISUL in the coal block allocation despite the state government initially recommending two other firms for it. The prosecutor said that Basu, who had attended the meeting of screening committee, insisted that VISUL should be recommended for the allocation. He added that even the steel ministry had not recommended VISUL.
Some of the accused, however, opposed the CBI contention saying there was no evidence against them. The court after hearing the arguments fixed the matter for June 30 for any clarification. During the arguments, CBI told the court that Koda, who was the then Chief Minister of Jharkhand, had himself approved the names of two other companies for Rajhara north coal block allocation and that file had passed through Gupta as well.
"Koda never questioned as to how the names of two firms which were initially recommended by the state government were not there in the screening committee and how VISUL was recommended by the committee for Rajhara north coal block," the prosecutor said.
Gupta told the court that the decision of the screening committee was unanimous and VISUL was eligible for allocation of coal block. Gupta, VISUL, Koda and AK Basu, are among the eight accused in the case. The others are bureaucrats Bipin Bihari Singh and Basant Kumar Bhattacharya, VISUL director Vaibhav Tulsyan, Koda's close aide Vijay Joshi and chartered accountant Navin Kumar Tulsyan.