I am upset, Manmohan Singh says after court summons him as accused in coal scam case

NEW DELHI: Former PM Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday that he was upset over a Delhi court’s decision to issue him summons to appear as an accused in a coal scam case.

“I am upset, but this is a part of life,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on Wednesday.

“I am sure that the truth will prevail and I will get a chance to put forward my case with facts,” the former PM added.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, ex-coal secretary P C Parakh and three others were on Wednesday summoned as accused by a special court in a coal scam case pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005 and asked to appear before it on April 8.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar summoned the six accused on April 8 for the alleged offences punishable under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the IPC and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

Besides these three, the court also summoned M/s Hindalco, its officials Shubhendu Amitabh and D Bhattacharya as accused in the case.

If convicted, the accused are liable to be sentenced for a maximum of life imprisonment.