Coal Scam: SC Grants 4 Weeks' Time To CBI For Filing Fresh Status Report, RS Cheema To Continue As Spl.PP

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted 4 weeks' time to the CBI for filing a fresh status report in connection with the 'Coal-gate' scam.

The Central probe agency had in December last year asserted that the investigation against former CBI Chief Ranjit Sinha, for manipulating the probe in the coal-block allocation scam, is almost complete.

On Wednesday, Advocate and petitioner-in-person M. L. Sharma urged before the bench headed by Chief Justice S. A. Bobde that "Jindal Steel was the biggest beneficiary of the coal block allocation and still Naveen Jindal has faced no action till date!"

"Have any arrests been made?", inquired the bench.

Replying in the negative, the CBI sought 4 weeks to place on record the updated report as to the stage of progress of the cases.

In December, 2019, the court had not taken kindly to the ED's request for changing certain investigating officers associated with the Coal scam.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had sought permission to repatriate these officers to their home-states on account of their "personal issues", advancing that they were anyway on deputation.

'Is deputation a punishment? They can resolve (their problems) and return...when the probe is underway, to change the officers would be against the basic principle...', Chief Justice Bobde had taken a prima facie view.

Further, Senior Advocate R. S. Cheema, Special Public Prosecutor (for the ED) in the matter, had sought the court's permission to withdraw from the responsibility.

Initially having asked the SG and Mr. Cheema to suggest names to replace him, the court on Friday recorded, "On our request Shri R.S. Cheema, learned senior counsel/Special Public Prosecutor has agreed to continue as a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct prosecution of the money laundering cases under the Prevention of Money laundering Act,2002 4 pertaining to the coal block allocation matters till 30.06.2020"