The Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate’s handling of the coal scam probe came under scrutiny in Supreme Court on Monday which expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of probe.
Dealing with status reports filed by the two agencies, the apex bench of Justices Madan B lokur, Kurian Joseph and AK Sikri said, “We place on record our unhappiness at the prolonged delay and expect CBI to conclude investigation at the earliest without seeking further time or transfer of its officials.”
The comment came when the Court was dealing with an application by the CBI to allow Inspector General Rajeev Kumar to be relieved for joining his new assignment with National Defence College. Though the bench allowed the request considering the prestigious posting and the fact that the officer in question was a decorated officer, the bench allowed him to join his new assignment.
The bench said, “Considering the circumstances in the case at hand, we allow the request made by CBI in the Note on Administration dated December 14. However, we must make clear our unhappiness at the fact that investigation is getting prolonged. It can’t go on this way.”
Senior advocate Amarendra Saran who appeared for CBI told the Court that three new cases have been registered and investigation is progressing at a good pace. The bench reminded Saran that the investigation was to complete last December 31 and a year had gone by since.
On examining the status of ED probe, the bench found that provisional attachment orders issued by ED in September 2015 attaching three properties worth Rs186 crore, Rs24.5 crore and Rs2.1 crore respectively had yet not yielded a single complaint. “Your silence in these matters speaks a lot,” the bench said. ED officials present in Court submitted that in one case, complaint was vetted and is in final stages of preparation. Court directed both agencies to file fresh status reports before January 11, the next date of hearing.