Coal scam: CBI registers two FIRs on CVC reference

However, CBI won't take immediate action in 12 cases where CVC has said that FIRs can be registered

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two fresh FIRs in the coal block allocation scam against Ranchi-based Domco Private Limited, its promoter Binay Prakash and Raipur-based Vandana Vidhyut and members of the 35th Screening Committee for criminal conspiracy and cheating. Both the cases are among the list of coal block allocations that were referred by the CBI to the Central Vigilance Commission. CBI had initially said that the evidence in these cases was not sufficient to register an FIR.

However, for 12 more cases where CVC has suggested that an FIR can be registered, CBI would not take any action immediately. A senior CBI official said that CVC has not clarified on what basis a case should be registered in these matters. The agency would tell the Supreme Court in the next hearing on coal block allocation that it would proceed further after CVC details the reasoning behind lodging a case for corruption and criminal conspiracy.

CBI has alleged in its FIR that Domco entered into conspiracy with unknown others and submitted false information with dishonest intention to the concerned authorities while applying for a captive coal block and secured allocation of Lalgarh-North coal block. The then Director of the company allegedly gained pecuniary benefit of around Rs 7 crore by selling shares of the company on premium, after the allocation of the coal block.

The agency has also alleged that the Vandana Vidhyut misrepresented its networth to get the allocation of Fatehpur east coal block in Chhatisgarh and the Screening Committee deliberately did not follow the guidelines and had shown undue favour to the company.

With the latest two cases, CBI now has 22 FIRs in the coal block allocation scam. Of these, it has closed four cases and filed chargesheets in two other cases. The agency is also preparing to register more chargesheets in the case against former coal secretaries including H C Gupta and former Jharkhand chief secretary A K Basu in the coal scam. So far there haven't been any chargesheets against any bureaucrat in the scam.