CBI director refutes addl solicitor-gen?s claim that document was not shared with ?political persons?

Triggering political turbulence, CBI director Ranjit Sinha admitted before the Supreme Court on Friday that the agency’s status report on coal block allocation case was shared with Union law minister Ashwani Kumar and senior officials of PMO and coal ministry, ?as desired by them?.

In his two-page affidavit submitted as per the directive of a Bench led by Justice RM Lodha, Sinha apparently refuted the statement made by the CBI’s counsel, Additional Solicitor General HP Raval, who had claimed that the report was not shared with any ?political persons?.

This statement by the law officer had prompted the court to seek an affidavit from the CBI director, endorsing the submission that he had vetted the reports himself and that investigation details were not being shared.

The affidavit by Sinha, however, read: ?In respect of the query raised by this court about sharing of the contents of the status report dated 8th March, 2013, with the political executive, I submit that the draft of the same was shared with Union minister for law and justice, as desired by him prior to its submission before this court.?

Not only that the report was shared with the minister, Sinha?s affidavit stated, the draft report was also shared with ?one joint secretary-level officer, each of the Prime Minister’s Office and ministry of coal, as desired by them.?

The affidavit, however, is silent on the aspect whether any changes were also made in the draft report after it was shared with the executive, before the status report was filed in the court in a sealed cover.

After filing the affidavit, Sinha, on the question of jeopardising the independence of CBI, said the Supreme Court is the best forum to take a view on the issue. He also refused to comment whether any changes in the status report were made on the suggestion of the minister.

“We have already filed the affidavit in the Supreme Court and now it is in the public domain. I don’t have to say anything more about that,” he said on the sidelines of the investiture ceremony of sub-inspector cadets at Ghaziabad CBI academy. On being asked whether any changes in the status report on probe in coal scam were made on the suggestion of law minister, he said, ?I will disclose everything before the apex court and before telling them I do not wish to share anything with general public.?

On meeting minister of personnel V Narayanasamy a day ahead of filing the affidavit in Supreme Court, Sinha said that there is no bar in meeting his minister. “He is our minister. What is the harm in meeting him. There is no bar from meeting him. I keep on meeting him. This is routine work,” he said. However, he refused to comment on the purpose of his visit to Narayansamy.

The Indian Express had first reported that the UPA government could be in for some major embarrassment since the CBI director was inclined to inform the court that the status report it submitted last month had been vetted by Kumar and PMO officials. Sources had told Express that senior CBI officials, including Sinha, were summoned by Kumar days before the status report was to be filed and several amendments in the report were suggested and some also incorporated by the CBI.

Along with this personal affidavit by Sinha, the CBI also filed its latest status report on the investigation into the coal scam. This report, Sinha claimed, ?has not been shared? with any political executive in any manner whatsoever. ?In respect of further status reports of the investigations and enquiries required to be filed in this matter before this court, I undertake and assure this court that the same shall not be shared with any political executive,? assured the director.

Sinha’s affidavit and the new status report will come up on April 30 for consideration before the SC, which is hearing two PILs demanding cancellation of coal block allocations, besides an independent probe into the scam.

The CBI, in its first report, had alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks by the screening committee, causing a face off between the agency and the government. The Centre, being represented by Attorney General GE Vahanvati, had taken a stand in the court that the CBI could not be the “final word” on the matter.