Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar, who was to assist the Supreme Court in monitoring the coal block allocation scam probe, has sought withdrawal from the cases as he had worked with the coal ministry between 2003-06, first as an additional secretary and then as special secretary.
The apex court had asked him and two other vigilance officers to examine 20 such cases of coal block allocation in which there were divergent views between the investigating officer and CBI?s head office on filing chargesheets.
A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said that it would consider the CVC’s plea seeking recusal when the special bench, which is hearing coalgate cases, assembles.
The court had on March 28 sought assistance of the CVC to examine all cases in coal blocks allocation scam in which there were divergent views between the investigating officer and CBI’s head office on filing chargesheets. CBI had informed the court that there were till date 20 such cases where officers had differed on what further action needed to be taken.
The court had directed the agency to place the documents of all 22 cases (20 PEs and two FIRs) within five days before CVC for its perusal and the corruption watchdog was asked to examine the documents and file report in a sealed envelope within four weeks on whether the cases can be closed or the CBI can go ahead with the filing of charge sheets in them.
The apex court had passed the order after it was informed that the agency had filed closure report in two cases despite there being difference of opinion among CBI officials.
CBI’s deputy inspector general supervising the coal scam probe, Ravi Kant Sharma, told the apex court that he had wanted to file a chargesheet against the two companies ?Vikas Metals and Kamal Sponge and Power? against whom investigations have been closed by the CBI.
He had told the court that preliminary inquiry against 20 other firms have been closed even though some officials wanted the probes to go forward.
The decision not to convert the FIRs against these two companies into chargesheets were taken by the CBI director, citing lack of prosecutable evidence.
