Coal scam: Sanction to prosecute govt servants awaited, says CBI

Investigating officer (IO) says they have sent relevant records of the case to the competent authority

The CBI today told a special court that it was awaiting response of the competent authority on the issue of considering according sanction to prosecute public servants allegedly involved in a coalscam case relating to allocation of blocks to Navbharat Power Pvt Ltd (NPPL).

The investigating officer (IO) said that they have sent relevant records of the case to the competent authority.

"It has been submitted that the necessary record has been submitted to the competent authority for considering according of sanction to prosecute the public servants and the same is still awaited," Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said and fixed the matter for further hearing on April 21.

The CBI was earlier directed by the court to further probe the matter in which it had filed a charge sheet against NPPL, its Managing Director and Vice-Chairman Y Harish Chandra Prasad and Chairman P Trivikrama Prasad.

The court, in its order passed on November 12, 2014, had said that the acts of former Coal Secretary H C Gupta and two other public servants overlooking alleged misrepresentation by NPPL for acquiring coal block in Rampia in Odisha prima facie amounted to criminal misconduct.

The court had differed from CBI's conclusion that no malafide intention was found on the part of public servants, saying it was prima facie clear that decision of allocating coal block to NPPL was taken by officers of Ministry of Coal (MOC) and screening committee without keeping public interest in mind.

The court had also asked CBI to place before sanctioning authority the records of the case for considering the issue of according sanction to prosecute public servants involved for the offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.