The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told the Supreme Court it had made substantial progress in its inquiry into the coal scam cases and against the agency’s former director Ranjit Sinha, PTI reported.
Sinha is accused of trying to impede the CBI’s investigation into the cases, which emerged in 2012 after a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General was leaked to the media. The audit found discrepancies in coal block allocations made by the government of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which allegedly cost the national exchequer Rs 1.86 lakh crore in losses.
After Supreme Court-appointed Special Prosecutor RS Cheema on Monday submitted a report n behalf of the CBI’s Special Investigation Team, the court, once again, pointed out the delay in the agency and Enforcement Directorate’s inquiry into the coal scam cases.
Cheema said the team has broadened its scope of investigation and was now also looking into all vehicles of those who visited Sinha’s house during his term as the CBI chief, as well as the bank accounts of all his regular visitors. In the report, investigators also said they suspected Sinha had more number of visitors than the ones mentioned in the diary – the visitor’s register of Sinha’s house that mentions the names of some of the prime accused in the case, prompting the investigation against him.
The CBI has sought more time to complete its investigation into the coal block allocation scam. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for the second week of March.
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