CBI faces court's ire over filing report in improper format

The CBI today faced the wrath of a special court for not filing in a "proper format" the final report in a coal block allocation scam case against Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, ex-Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao and others.
"It is high time" that the CBI should know how to file a report in the court, Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said expressing annoyance over the manner in which the final report was filed before him.
The CBI inspector, who filed the report, faced the flak of the court as the judge asked him "not to behave like a junior officer" and warned him that he will have to explain in writing if he does not file the report in the prescribed format.

Initially, the court asked the official to file the report in a proper format within three days but when he expressed his inability to do so, the court observed, "Don't you know it has to be submitted in a proper format? It is high time you should know it".
"You (official) are saying this is the final report. You are again saying you can't file it within this period. Think before what you say. Don't say anything in the court like this. You are an inspector, don't behave like a constable. I have already warned you on several occasion earlier," the judge said.

Later, the court accepted the final report noting that sufficient time has already lapsed in the matter and asked the agency to file the documents in a "proper format" by January 23, the next date of hearing.

While filing the report which contained CFSL report, list of documents, list of witnesses and their statements, the agency told the court that the probe was complete in the case.
The court had earlier allowed the CBI's plea that it
needed to probe the case further in light of certain disclosures made by a chartered accountant, Suresh Singhal, who had sought the court's nod to turn approver.

It had also allowed Singhal's plea for pardon and ordered deletion of his name from the list of the accused.
CBI had alleged that former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, also accused in the case, had favoured Jindal group firms -- Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Ltd (GSIPL) -- in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.
Opposing CBI's contention, all the accused had said there was no evidence to show that they was any conspiracy during the coal block allocation process. They had also denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI in its charge sheet.