SC Asks CBI to Set Up Probe Against Ex-Director Ranjit Sinha

Sinha is being probed in 8 cases in the coal scam.

Former CBI Chief Ranjit Sinha at a press conference. 

(Photi: PTI)

The Supreme Court today directed the special investigation team (SIT) – constituted to probe allegations against former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha in coal scam cases – to submit a status report.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice MB Lokur asked the SIT to file the status report regarding the investigation before it in a sealed cover within four weeks.

The bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and AK Sikri, directed this after advocate Prashant Bhushan said that several months had gone by since the SIT was formed and it should be asked to submit a report of its investigation.

The Supreme Court had on 23 January constituted the SIT headed by the CBI director to look into the prima facie allegations against the former CBI chief of trying to influence the probe in coal scam cases.

During the hearing, senior advocate RS Cheema, who has been appointed as the special public prosecutor in coal scam cases by the apex court, told the bench that eight CBI cases related to the scam were pending consideration before the highest authority of the agency.

The top court directed the CBI director to finalise the eight pending cases on or before 15 January 2018.

The apex court was earlier told that a panel headed by former CBI special director ML Sharma held that Sinha's alleged meetings with some high-profile accused in the coal scam, prima facie indicated that there was an attempt to influence the investigation.

The apex court-appointed panel was probing the alleged scuttling of a probe into coal block allocation scam cases by Sinha, whose meetings with the accused persons were held as “completely inappropriate”.

On 7 December 2015, the court had ordered the visitors’ diary from the official residence of the former CBI directed to be handed over to the Sharma-led panel.

(With inputs from PTI)