CBI green signal to Suresh Singhal as approver in coal case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday told a special court which is hearing the coal block allocation case allegedly involving former MP Naveen Jindal and others, to allow the plea of an accused, New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd director Suresh Singhal, who wants to become an approver in the matter.

The probe agency submitted a copy of Singhal's statement to CBI Special Judge Bharat Parashar.

The CBI also told the court that it is conducting further investigation on the basis of documents recovered following disclosure made by Singhal in his statement.

The court fixed June 6 for considering the plea of Singhal.

Last month the court found prima facie evidence against industrialist, senior Congress leader and former MP Jindal, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and others in a case related to the allocation of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.

However, Jindal, Rao, Koda and others denied the charge and sought discharge from the case.

The CBI in April 2015 had filed a chargesheet against Jindal, Koda, Rao and former coal secretary H.C. Gupta apart from Singhal, Jindal Realty director Rajeev Jain, Gagan Sponge directors Girish Kumar Juneja and R.K. Saraf, Sowbhagya Media's managing director K. Ramakrishna and chartered accountant Gyan Swaroop Garg.

Five private companies -- four based in Delhi and one in Hyderabad -- were also named in the chargesheet. The companies are Jindal Steel and Power Ltd., Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. Ltd., Jindal Reality Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi Exim Pvt. Ltd. and Sowbhagya Media Ltd.

--IANS

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