Was plea seeking Manmohan's summoning 'fun', court askes Koda

A special court hearing a coal block allocation case allegedly involving firms owned by the Jindal group of industries, on Monday asked Jharkhand's former chief minister Madhu Koda if his application seeking summoning of ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh had been for "fun".

Special Judge Bharat Parashar asked Koda's counsel Anshuman Sinha to co-relate his application seeking summoning of Manmohan Singh and two others as accused in the case with the ongoing arguments on framing of charges after he told court that was no conspiracy as alleged by the Central Bureau of Investigation in its charge sheet in the case.

At this, the court then asked Koda's counsel that has he moved his application seeking summoning of Manmohan Singh "simply for fun".

The court remark came after observing that Koda, in his plea seeking summoning of Manmohan Singh, said that there was a conspiracy but now he is saying there was no conspiracy.

Koda's counsel replied that as an accused, he had only said that as per CBI's case, there was a conspiracy and if at all there was any conspiracy, then he (Singh) should be called as well.

His plea seeking summoning of Manmohan Singh was dismissed by the court last month.

The arguments on framing of charges in the case would continue on Tuesday as well.

The court was hearing Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block allocation case.

Apart from Koda, Congress leader Naveen Jindal, former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, former coal secretary H.C. Gupta and others have been named as accused in the case.

They have been charge sheeted for criminal conspiracy and cheating as well as under the Prevention of Corruption Act.