The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked CBI’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file a fresh status report giving details of probe into charges of “abuse of official position” by former CBI chief RanjitSinha who had allegedly tried to scuttle the probe in coal scam cases.
The top court also asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI to file their updated status reports on pending coal scam cases and the stages of their trial.
A special bench headed by Justice M B Lokur, monitoring the probe by the CBI and the ED into the coal scam cases, asked the SIT to file a status report on probe into the charges against Sinha.
“Scope of investigation of SIT has been confined to investigate the abuse of authority committed by Ranjit Sinha with a view to scuttle the inquiry and investigation conducted by the CBI in coal scam cases. The status report is upto January 15, 2018. Latest report till December 31, 2018 be filed by on or before January 15, 2019,” said the bench also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and A K Sikri.
Senior advocate R S Cheema, who has been appointed as a special public prosecutor (SPP) by the top court for coal scam cases, said that he will file the latest status report of SIT.
The top court had earlier constituted the SIT headed by former CBI special director M L Sharma to look into the prima facie allegations against Sinha for trying to influence the probe in coal scam cases.
The bench also issued notice to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL) and others on an interlocutory application filed by one Sudip Shrivastava alleging that despite apex court’s order of 2014, the coal blocks were allocated to a joint venture in which Adani Enterprise Ltd has a majority stake of 74 per cent which is “impermissible”.