Coal scam: SC directs CBI to file five charge sheets by Mar 28

The Supreme Court today directed CBI to file remaining five of the six charge sheets by March 28 in the coal block allocation scam, declining to grant more time sought by the agency for this purpose.
The apex court also questioned the agency for delaying the filing of charge sheets despite recording a statement on February 10 that the charge sheets in six of the cases would be filed within three weeks.
"It (four weeks) is too much. This is no way. Why should it be delayed at all. You only said (on February 10) lawyers need to advise the agency," a bench comprising justices R M Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurien Joseph said when senior advocate Amarender Sharan sought four weeks time to file the charge sheets on the ground that certain aspects needed to be gone into.

The bench, which at first wanted only to give two weeks extension to finish the nitty gritty of filing the charge sheets settled for March 28 after CBI made a fervent plea.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, opposed the CBI plea, contending that it was intended to take it beyond the general election.
He said that during the last hearing, the CBI said the investigation was almost complete and it was ready to file the charge sheets but now it is indulging in delaying tactics.

The agency today filed the first of the six charge sheets before the trial court against Navabharat Power Pvt Ltd and accused two of its directors --P Trivikrama Prasad and Y Harish Chandra Prasad -- of conspiring and cheating.

The apex court also sought response from the CBI on Income Tax department's plea seeking a direction to it to allow its (Income Tax) officers to inspect documents seized by the investigation agency from the premises of Hindalco in order to initiate proceedings against Aditya Birla Group under the Income Tax Act.
"Response from the CBI to the application filed by the I-T department be filed within 15 days," the bench said and added that it will peruse the CBI's response on March 28.