NEW DELHI: In a hearing over a plea filed by ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda requesting the court for the summoning of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the additional accused in the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal scam case, the CBI said that the former PM has not committed any crime. The CBI in its counter to the plea filed by Koda said that it has not found any illegality at Singh’s part.
The CBI said that they have conducted a comprehensive investigation into the case and have not found anything that showed Mr Singh as illegal. The CBI also added that Koda’s plea was nothing but a tool to deviate the court and delay the proceedings of the investigation.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal group firms – Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd (GSIPL).
The CBI made it clear to the special CBI judge that the investigation has been carried on without any pressures from outside. It reiterated that the documents and files related to the coal block allocations were not linked to the former PM and hence termed the allegations made by Koda as “baseless”.
However, the CBI indirectly clarified that it not trying to save the former Prime Minister. The CBI said, ” As far as this case is concerned, the CBI has conducted a comprehensive and complete investigation into the case and has not found anything on the part of Mr Singh. However, this case is different from the Talabira coal block in Odisha to Hindalco over which the the court has summoned the former PM which was later stayed by the Supreme Court”, the Times of India reported.