Coalscam: Court asks passport authorities to take decision

A special court today directed the passport authorities to "positively" take a decision by October 17 regarding what action has to be taken in connection with an accused's passport seized by CBI during its probe in a coal blocks allocation case.
The court also observed that the passport authorities have been sitting over the matter relating to passport of accused Manoj Jayaswal for a long time for reasons best known to them and directed them to file a copy of the action taken order in the court before next date of hearing on October 17.
"Since the passport authorities have been sitting over the matter since a long time for reasons best known to them, it is directed that positively by October 17, passport authorities will take a final decision as regards the action to be taken by them in the matter as per law, irrespective of the fact whether any reply is received from the accused or not," Additional Sessions Judge Bharat Parashar said.

In pursuance to the court's show cause notice issued earlier as to what action has been taken by the passport authorities on the issue of Jayaswal's passport, Chief Passport Officer Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi today filed the reply.
The officer said that after the passport of Jayaswal was received by the Passport Office at Nagpur, they issued a show cause notice to him on June 12, 2014 as to why his passport should not be impounded under the provision of the Passports Act but no reply was furnished by the accused.
Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for Jayaswal, however, said no such notice was ever received by his client and submitted that he would give his reply to Passport Office, Nagpur by tomorrow evening.

Jayaswal, director of Nagpur-based AMR Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd, has been facing prosecution in a coal scam case in which CBI has chargesheeted him along with Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, his son Devendra Darda and the firm as accused for offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) of IPC and under Prevention of Corruption Act.