Centre tells SC, will cancel 41 coal block allocations between 1993 -2009

The Central Government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it will cancel 41 coal blocks allocated in period between 1993 and 2009.

The Supreme Court, which is examining the status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the coal block allocation scam, asked the Centre about parameters followed by the screening committee in allocating coal blocks.

"We must know what are the parameters followed by the screening committee," asked the apex court.

The court referred to the screening committee's decision to add 11 more applicants in its existing list of 20.

"We want to know how the committee included these 11 applicants? What are the reasons for including them?" Court asked.

The CBI in its report has mentioned that 16 FIRs were filed in the illegal coal block allocations to private companies and has completed its investigations in six FIRs so far.

These FIRs pertain to the period when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in charge of the coal ministry.

The report also mentions that in certain coal block allocations, no criminality has been found and accordingly, these can be taken out of the probe and that all missing files on the coal scam have been found.

The CBI has been probing the coal block allocation scam, in which it has been alleged that for several years, the government gave away mining licenses arbitrarily, without a transparent bidding process.

According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), an estimated loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores was caused to the national exchequer in the coal block allocation scam.

The opposition has repeatedly targeted the Prime Minister, who was in charge of the Coal Ministry between November 2006 and May 2009.