Will examine accounts of visitors’ of ex–CBI chief: SIT to SC

The CBI’s special investigation team (SIT) today told the Supreme Court that it would examine the bank account details of persons who had visited the official residence of its former chief Ranjit Sinha, who had allegedly tried to scuttle the probe in coal scam cases.

The SIT, which filed a report giving status of its investigation into the matter, told a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur that “substantial progress” has been made in the investigation and its scope has been widened.

Slow pace of probe

The apex court, which is monitoring the probe by the CBI and the ED into the coal scam cases, expressed its displeasure over the tardy pace of probe. “You have given us 11 reports of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and 18 reports of CBI. We must say, the progress in the investigation has been slow. Even today, when we see the 18th report of CBI, it says one case is pending,” the bench, which also comprised Justices Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri, said.

Senior advocate R S Cheema, who has been appointed a special public prosecutor (SPP) by the top court for coal scam cases, placed the SIT’s status report on record and said the team was trying to trace the number of vehicles which used to come to Sinha’s official residence.

The top court had in January last year constituted the SIT headed by the CBI director to look into the prima facie allegations against Ranjit Sinha of trying to influence the probe in coal scam cases. During the hearing, Cheema told the bench that visitors at the former CBI chief’s house were more than what was there in the visitors’ diary maintained at his official residence and its probe was going on.

“Vehicle number of visitors have to be traced. The probe is going on. Bank account details of visitors have to be looked into,” he told the bench, adding, “exercise has been done substantially. They (SIT) have asked for six months (to complete the probe).”

While maintaining that “substantial progress” has been made into the probe, he urged the court to list the matter after 3–4 months, but the bench posted it for hearing in the second week of March.

During the hearing, the bench, while perusing the status report, observed, “there are certain inferences that could perhaps be drawn”.“For example, if some person has met Ranjit Sinha or there is an indication of some financial transaction, we may infer that perhaps that might have some implications on the investigation,” the bench observed.

Cheema, however, said that in its probe, SIT was looking into all the preliminary enquiry (PEs) reports registered by CBI in the coal block allocation scam cases.

Besides dealing with SIT issue, the bench also dealt with other matters related to the case, including the status reports filed earlier by the CBI and ED. The ED told the bench that provisional attachment orders have been issued in 13 cases amounting to Rs 600.7 crore.

Meanwhile, Cheema and ED’s counsel told the bench that the ED has registered some cases in which it appeared that no case was prima facie made out. To this, the bench asked both the SPP and ED’s counsel to look into each cases lodged by ED and give an opinion to the agency on which matters, the cases were not made out. The bench also noted in its order the number of cases lodged by CBI and ED and their present status.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, said none of the status reports have been given to them and they would also require to know about the status of cases lodged by these probe agencies.

“Reaching the end”

When the SPP said that “as far as CBI is concerned, we are almost reaching the end”, the bench shot back, saying “you are right, but you have told us this one year ago also".

The court also dealt with CBI’s request in which it had requested the West Bengal government to give some documents pertaining to the coal block allocations in the state but the documents were not handed over to the agency.

The bench said West Bengal chief secretary has filed an affidavit stating that the government was giving full cooperation to the agency and would provide all the documents which they required in their probe.

In the matter involving Ranjit Sinha, the apex court was earlier informed that a panel headed by former CBI special director M L Sharma had held that the ex–CBI chief’s alleged meetings with some high-profile accused in the coal scam prima facie indicated that there was an attempt to influence the investigation.

The apex court-appointed panel was probing the alleged scuttling of the investigation into coal block allocation scam cases by Sinha, whose meetings with the accused persons were held as “completely inappropriate“.

On December 7, 2015, the court had ordered handing over the original visitors’ diary of the official residence of the to the Sharma-led panel.

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