Court summons Manmohan Singh as accused in Hindaclo coal block allocation case

Despite not being named as an accused by the CBI in the original FIR, a special court has summoned ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh in connection with the coal block allocation to Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Hindalco. Reports said that the court hearing the case filed against PC Parakh, Kumar Mangalam Birla for the allocation of a coal block to Hindalco has summoned the ex-Prime Minister in the case since he was the coal minister at the time of the allocation. Singh along with Birla and Parakh have been summoned by the court on 8 April. [caption id=“attachment_2147309” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP image[/caption] The CBI on 19 February had filed its final probe report in a coal block allocation case allegedly involving former Coal Secretary PC Parakh, Hindalco and others before the special court. Senior public prosecutor V K Sharma at the time told the court that the agency has completed the investigation and one more witness has been examined during the course of probe and they are filing his statement in a sealed cover. The court had said that it would consider the CBI’s final report in the case on 11 March and if required would will seek clarifications from the agency. The case pertains to allocation of Talabira II coal block in Orissa to Hindalco in 2005. The CBI, in its FIR, had named Parakh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Hindalco Industries Ltd and other unknown persons for the offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, later, the agency had filed a closure report in the court. The court which had refused to accept it. The court, in its 16 December order, had directed the agency to examine Manmohan Singh and some top PMO officials, including Singh’s then Principal Secretary TKA Nair and then private secretary B V R Subramanyam. Parakh and Hindalco have denied any wrongdoing.