Coal scam: SC orders CBI probe against former director Ranjit Sinha

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 23

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe against the agency's former director Ranjit Sinha for allegedly interfering in 2G and coal scam investigations.

A Bench headed by Justice MB Lokur said the CBI director can choose two other senior officers of the agency who can be part of the team.

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The court, which rejected for an SIT probe against Sinha, said it was reposing faith in the CBI because of the change of guard in the agency.

It asked the CBI director to inform the court about the composition of the probe team and the possible time to be taken by January 30, the next date of hearing.

Petitioner's Common Cause counsel Prashant Bhushan told the Bench that senior IPS officer and CBI Joint Director Vineet VInayak, who has been supervising the coal scam probe, had conflict of interest in the matter. The court asked the CBI to verify the allegations and inform it by the next date.

The court also asked the CBI and ED to submit status reports on the progress made in their respective probe.

"Pull up your shocks," Justice Lokur told senior counsel Amarendra Sharan who represented the CBI.

The court asked him to give a bird's eye view of the cases under investigation by the CBI and the ED.

Sharan told the Bench that two cases had already reached culmination and at least one case was registered only in December last year.