Want to record Singhal’s statement for further probe, CBI tells court

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) The CBI on Friday told a special court hearing coal block allocation case allegedly involving former parliamentarian Naveen Jindal and others, that it wants to record the statement of New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd. director Suresh Singhal to further investigate the matter.

Special Public Prosecutor R.S. Cheema told Special CBI Judge, Bharat Parashar that the probe agency wants to record the statement of Singhal as his statement recorded before a magistrate as part of his plea to turn approver in the case last month has some gaps in it.

To fill that gap, his examination is required by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), he said, adding Singhal's assistance will help in probing the matter more efficiently and verify the other documents related to the case.

Hearing an application moved by Singhal last month, whereby he had sought pardon and expressed his desire to become an approver in the case, the court listed the matter for May 20 for further consideration.

The court last month found prima facie evidence against former parliamentarian, industrialist and senior Congress leader Naveen Jindal, former 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 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.