Coal scam: CBI seeks court's nod to add witnesses' names

The CBI today sought a special court's permission to add names of some witnesses and filing documents before it in a coal scam case in which ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, former coal secretary H C Gupta and seven others have been put on trial.
CBI prosecutor said the agency wanted to add the names of some witnesses, including Enforcement Directorate's Deputy Director Rajeshwar Singh, to prove the documents already on record.
"We want to add the name of ED official Rajeshwar Singh in (the list of) witnesses as he had recorded the statement of accused Vijay Joshi. His statement is already on record," Senior Public Prosecutor V K Sharma told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar.

The prosecutor said several documents are also required to be placed on record which was not done earlier.
The court asked all the accused to file their reply to the CBI's plea by October 12.
The court had earlier pulled up the CBI for not filing complete set of documents with the final report in the case.

"What is this happening? In every case, these issues crop up. Why do you not file the entire documents at one go, along with the charge sheet," the judge had said.
The court's observation had come after the prosecutor said he would file an application to add names of some formal witnesses and also file some documents.

The court has already fixed the matter for recording of further prosecution evidence on November 17.
Besides Koda and Gupta, the court had also framed charges against former Jharkhand Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar Basu, two public servants -- Basant Kumar Bhattacharya and Bipin Bihari Singh, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL), its director Vaibhav Tulsyan and chartered accountant Navin Kumar and Koda's alleged close aide, Vijay Joshi, in the case.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Rajhara North (Central and Eastern) coal block in Jharkhand to VISUL.
The court had framed charges against these nine accused for alleged offences punishable under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.