CBI to question Birla, Parakh

The agency will only move forward with the questioning of Birla and Parakh after CBI Director Ranjeet Sinha returns from an international tour next week

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is preparing to question Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary P C Parakh, who have been named in the latest coal block allocation scam First Information Report (FIR). CBI is in the process of gathering information and documents from various sources, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on the allocation of the Talabira-II block to Hindalco.

The agency will only move forward with the questioning of the two high-profile accused after CBI Director Ranjeet Sinha returns from an international tour next week.

A senior CBI official explained the agency had to prepare its case well and have all the required evidence to do any cross-examination.

CBI had written to the PMO seeking files related to the coal block allocation to Hindalco  on October 22, after the PMO issued a rebuttal against CBI’s allegations. The PMO’s correspondence with Naveen Patnaik, Odisha’s chief minister, regarding his request to give preference to Hindalco as aluminium projects, as against power plants, generate more employment and lead to growth of the manufacturing sector is also among the documents sought by CBI.

The investigation agency recently submitted its status report to the Supreme Court in the coal block allocation scam. The court is expected to hear the matter on Tuesday.

CBI said in its FIR, 14th in the alleged Rs 1.86-lakh-crore coal allocation scam, that Parakh overturned the recommendation of the screening committee and made Hindalco a joint allottee in the allocation after his meeting with Birla, while the final decision was taken by the “competent authority”.