CBI files final report in coal block case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday filed its final report with the statements of a witness recorded during the probe in a coal block allocation case allegedly involving industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others.

The CBI filed the statement in a sealed cover before special Judge Bharat Parashar and said that further investigation is complete in the case.

The final compliance report in the matter was filed on the court’s order.

The court Dec 16 had directed CBI to record the statement of former prime minister Manmohan Singh who was then holding coal ministry portfolio, and refused to accept closure report.

The court Thursday posted the matter for March 11 for consideration on the report.

In the last hearing, the agency has filed statements of various people recorded during the probe in the case. The CBI had booked Birla, former coal secretary P.C. Parakh, and others on charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption in the coal blocks’ allocation in October 2013.

But later it filed a closure report in the matter.