In a stinging criticism of the Central Bureau of Investigation and senior officials of the Coal Ministry and the PMO, the Supreme Court today hauled them all up for changing the “heart” of the Coalgate probe report but spared the Law Minister and the Government, at least for now.
In a significant order after a three-hour hearing, the Bench, headed by Justice R. M. Lodha, asked the Government to make an effort to come out with a law before July 10 to insulate the CBI from external influence and intrusion. It also directed the CBI not to share any report pertaining to the investigation in the coal block allocation scam with any official or Minister other than those in its 33-member investigation team and the CBI Director.
“The heart of the report was changed on suggestions of government officials,” the court said, in an apparent reference to the raging controversy over the sharing of the draft status report with political executive and joint secretaries in the Coal Ministry and the PMO.
The court directed that immediate steps be taken by the Centre and the CBI to repatriate DIG Ravi Kant Mishra, the investigating officer in coal blocks allocation case.
Voicing concern over the Centre’s interference in the draft status report, the court pulled up the joint secretaries of the PMO and the Coal Ministry for meeting CBI officials and suggesting changes to the report.
“They have no business to interact with the CBI. How can a joint secretary go through the probe report?” the Bench asked, noting that the CBI was supposed to interrogate officials of the Coal Ministry for alleged wrongdoings. The CBI also drew heavy flak from the Bench, which dubbed the agency as a “caged parrot speaking in its master’s voice”.
“It’s a sordid saga that there are many masters and one parrot,” the Bench said, after going through the nine-page affidavit of CBI Director Ranjit Sinha.
In his affidavit, Sinha had told the court that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar had made certain “significant changes” in the agency’s draft probe report on Coalgate, while top law officers and government officials, including those from the PMO, had suggested amendments.