New Delhi: In a major ruling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed trial court order summoning former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with coal scam case.
SC also issued notice to Centre on a separate plea challenging constitutional validity of a provision of Prevention of Corruption Act.
However, former Law Minister Kapil Sibbal defended Manmohan Singh and said, “PM has plenary powers and his administrative decisions can’t be termed illegal.”
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and business tycoon Kumar Mangalam Birla last week moved Supreme Court against CBI trial court order summoning them as accused in coal scam case.
On 11th March, special CBI court summoned the former Prime Minister as an accused in a coal scam case.
Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary P C Parakh and three others were also summoned as accused.
The court summoned them for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. They have all been asked to appear before the court on April 8.
In September 2005, Parakh recommended the allocation of the Talabira-II and Talabira-III coal blocks jointly to Hindalco, Mahanadi Coalfields and Neyveli Lignite. Hindalco is an Aditya Birla Group firm.
The-then prime minister, who was holding the additional charge of the Coal Ministry, had approved the proposal in October that year.
In October 2013, the CBI had filed an FIR in which it named Parakh and Birla for criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct. The CBI had filed its closure report in the case in August 2014, citing lack of evidence of wrongdoing against the duo.
