Delhi court orders supply of statement to CBI in coal case

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) A special court here on Wednesday ordered that the CBI be handed over a copy of New Delhi Exim director Suresh Singhal's statement in a coal block allocation case allegedly involving former parliamentarian Naveen Jindal.

Singhal moved an application last month, whereby he had sought pardon and expressed his desire to become an approver in the case.

Following the court's directions, Singhal's statement was recorded before a magistrate here last month and the copy was submitted in a sealed cover in the court of Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Bharat Parashar.

The CBI told the court that the copy of Singhal's statement was required for deciding whether he can turn approver or not.

The accused also sought a copy of Singhal's statement.

The court said it will decide whether the statement's copy can be supplied to the accused as well after the CBI filed its response.

The court asked the probe agency to file a reply on Singhal's plea by May 13.

The court last month found prima facie evidence against former parliamentarian, industrialist and senior Congress leader Naveen Jindal, former union minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and others in a case related to the allocation of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal Steel and Gagan Sponge.

However, Jindal, Rao, Koda and others denied the charge and sought discharge from the case.

The CBI in April last year filed a chargesheet against Jindal, Koda, Rao and former coal secretary H.C. Gupta apart from New Delhi Exim director Suresh Singhal, Jindal Realty director Rajeev Jain, Gagan Sponge directors Girish Kumar Juneja and R.K. Saraf, Sowbhagya Media's managing director K. Ramakrishna and chartered accountant Gyan Swaroop Garg.

Five private companies -- four based in Delhi and one in Hyderabad -- were also named in the charge sheet.

The companies are Jindal Steel and Power Ltd., Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt. Ltd., Jindal Reality Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi Exim Pvt. Ltd. and Sowbhagya Media Ltd.