India's ex-PM Singh summoned as accused in coal field case
74
NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was summoned on Wednesday by a court accused of criminal conspiracy in an inquiry into the award of coal fields during his term, in a blow for the Gandhi dynasty that ruled India until last year.
A special court under federal law enforcement agency the Central Bureau of Investigation summoned the former prime minister along with billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla and another official to appear on April 8, a source at the agency said.
Most coal block awards made by Singh's government, which ran India for a decade, were overturned by the Supreme Court after it ruled the process illegal late last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which ousted Singh's Congress-led administration last May, is now in the process of re-auctioning the fields in a process key to reducing India's heavy dependence on coal imports. The summons relates to a coal field allocated in 2005 to Hindalco Industries, part of the $40 billion Aditya Birla Group.
Kumar Mangalam Birla is the chairman of the group. The company declined to comment.
Singh is a globally respected economist credited with 1990s free-market reforms that unshackled India from its socialist past. He played a prominent role in managing the 2008 financial crisis. He ruled as prime minister for a coalition led by the Gandhi dynasty's Congress party.
His second term was mired in corruption scandals and accusations that party leader Sonia Gandhi called the shots in his government. Singh's image as a clean politician was damaged by the scale of corruption alleged to have taken place beneath him.
“The former government has absolutely nothing to hide. We conducted ourselves with utmost probity and transparency and the legal process will vindicate us,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (74) Closed
Mar 11, 2015 11:38am
Waqt waqt ki baat hai....
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 11:45am
In each year of the govt of UPA looted the money more than Pakistan GDP .They allotted coal mines to companies in a paper chit and there are no documents for allotments .When Audit Officials reveals there is revenue loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crores in their audit report ,the govt defended there is zero loss in allotment ,but same coal mines are being auctioned through open bidding ,the revenue expected from these mines may exceed Rs 5 lakh crores and also in telecom sector ,the open auction bidding is yielding more than Rs 1 lakh crore .At least ,Pakistani politicians are better than our previous govt law makers .
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:02pm
He may not be corrupt, but all this was happening under his nose and he wasn't aware is kinda hard to digest.
Moreover, he was just a puppet, dancing to the tune of Sonia Gandhi.
But saying all that doesn't take away his credentials of being a very good economist!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:02pm
It is a common misconception that 1991 problem was solved by free market reforms by Singh. The facts can be recalled. Indian Economy had serious problem in 1991 and it needed IMF bailout. IMF did, but forced some conditions of changing taxation and other structural aspects of economy. MMS implemented the IMF medicine. True, implementation is also a good job done, but the ideas and enforcement was of IMF. It worked.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:07pm
The great Indian drama
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:08pm
We are in the democracy. Nobody is above the law. Its Crystal clear that coal blocks sold under his power put nation in great loss. Now he have to answer for the sin he committed.
Hope he would break his MOUN now!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:09pm
What about our leader?
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:11pm
Yeah arrest the only honest guy in politics
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:14pm
Mr. Manmohan Singh is personally an honest and clean leader—but some top leaders in his party are not. There is evidence to show that Mr Singh favoured the transplant process of auctioning to allocate the coal blocks, but he did not assert his authority to overrule what his party wanted and approved a non-transparent ad-hoc allocation process. India’s Auditor General questioned the ad-hoc method of allocating the coal blocks and estimated that the Government lost several billions dollars in revenue due to the non-transparent process followed. The Supreme Court of India took cognizance of that report and ordered an investigation based on which the Court cancelled the allocations made since 2005 to large industrial conglomerates. These 19 coal blocks are being auctioned by the current Government. The first tranche of 16 blocks were sold last month for Rs. 83,662 crores ($13.7 billion). This huge amount will go to the state governments where the coal mines are located—most of them are low income states. By summoning Mr. Singh and others, Indian judiciary is seeking to make the political leadership (the executive branch of Indian State) and corporate leadership accountable for the decisions made resulting in a huge loss to the exchequer. This is an important development in the evolution of India’s democratic institutions and the corporate sector.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:29pm
@ abdul kreem, ya what about our Paksiatn leaders? atleast India as courage to call them in the court for corruption. How many leaders we in pakistan called in the court for corruption??
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:34pm
...but manmohan singh looks so innocent...hapless and helpless though, controlled by the Italian mafia.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 12:39pm
It is only summons. He is not convicted. He is one rare politician whom all Indians can trust from of their heart. He might have been projected as an incompetent PM by political opponents. Most of his mistakes were due to Congress party leaders. That doesn't mean that he has stopped down to compromising on basic moral values. Sure he will come clean.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:03pm
Everybody knows where the Buck is finally going to stop. So, no prizes for guessing! Wait and watch as the drama unfolds!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:09pm
friends , please remember that dr, manmohan is not elected PM , he was nominated to PM by their party, the party , the dynastic congress is at mischief, dr, manmohan has to come out with what all evidence he has to protect him and the involvement of the party head so that she is axed , i personally feel he is non corrupt , let us see what happens , for a change india is developing! EVEN the PM 's are not spared by the courts
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:10pm
Now the chickens have come to the roost.
Dr Singh was a spineless prime minister. He was clean not because he was honest, but because he was dishonest to dance to the tune of his masters against his own conscience.
He allowed corruption of Himalayan proportion under his very own nose, and acted against the interest of the nations and the people whom he had pledged to serve.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:15pm
@A shah How does that honest help, when he allowed others to be dishonest , being in helm of affairs????????? Good for nothing. A puppet! Thats all!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:17pm
@India What do you mean by "He may not be corrupt" ? Any person who is serving the country from highest rank should be loyal to his country . When he was the coal minister and who can else allot the coal mines without his knowledge ? supporting corruption is also as good as taking corruption .As a one in five best economist in the world ,he never used his brain to uplift of the country .
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:20pm
No body can escape law...
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:24pm
that's the result of the bad company.....
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:25pm
@Abdul Kadir
Yeah when Musharraf will go to jail then I will acknowledge that Pakistan is improving
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:36pm
@India Was Manmohan not shamed for sending every important files of his office to his party president's residence ? What is the use for not using his brain for taking any decision being one of the best economist in the world ?
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:43pm
True Democracy !!!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:45pm
Dig deep down and you will find politicians from every party corrupt.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:52pm
Manmohan Singh is paying for congress..He is not corrupt.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 01:59pm
@Abdul Kadir which one you mean. There are so many.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 02:00pm
@kranti, Many have escaped, like Ghandi family, Lalu Prasad and many more in various crimes like murders and rapes.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 02:00pm
All the world is full of corruptions and all these so called tycoons first came from villages, where they were selling tea and biscuits and once get into power then their actual character comes in front of the world, wow even they don't feel shame.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 02:09pm
Better late than never..
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 02:49pm
Indian economy was opened by Chandrasekhar, who ruled only for months.Narsimha Rao gave it momentum, with Manmohan Singh as finance minister, and credit should go to the then prime minister.Under Sonia, Manmohan became PM with clear understanding that he will allow what ever she does.Massive corruption took place and his worst defense was file came to my office,went back with notings, but I did not see it.When MMSingh was reserve bank governor, worst stock market fraud took place.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 02:54pm
@kranti - What about many pending sex cases of parliamentarians?
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:00pm
@Kamal Pasha. Lalu Yadav membership as MP has been terminated and he cant contest for next 6 years.he has been sentenced for 5 years.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:08pm
even if he was personally honest but chose not to act against the ongoing corruption, he is a culprit.
Its like a 'gentleman' soldier who allowed his countrymen to be killed.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:24pm
We know he is not a corrupt person but he is not able to control corruption under him, so he has to answer this.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:28pm
The power of Indian democracy and independent judiciary system.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:43pm
@Radha Krishna Well, I'd beg to differ from you. The craft of governance is something different! It has nothing to do with his loyalty vis a vis his connoisseurship in the field of economics...
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 03:43pm
@A shah :- I agree with you, he will be prosecuted also.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 04:04pm
And our Mr. 10% and many others thugs like him have self-proclaimed immunity for all their wrong doings. We've got the most corrupt democratic system in the world. We should learn a lesson at least from India.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 04:05pm
Poor Singh.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 04:27pm
The cases of corruption have to be considered "wilful murder" of the society with the corresponding appropriate penalty.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 04:43pm
As a deterrence to other politicians he should get rigorous imprisonment for his sins. One is not only accountable for what one does but also for the those which he/she didn't.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:10pm
he is not first nor will be last ex PM of India to be tried in court... all previous PMs have same history the only thing is Indian media does not make such news mega events ... else India have highest rate of corruption and is slated number 17 among most corrupt nations even beating Pak by a good margin ie Pak is rated 29.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:25pm
Nobody is above the law. Once Mr.Singh spills the beans, his party will have their death warrant.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:26pm
@India He is guilty because he ignored all to stay in the chair. He needs to be punished.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:27pm
India beat PAKISTAN, even in corruption . should we be proud
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:28pm
@farhad Pakistan has much smaller economy, and hence the pie is smaller, the loot is less.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:28pm
@Harish Kiran G S He should tell everything and hide nothing.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:33pm
He didn't utter a single word during his 10 years tenure. I really don't remember his actual voice. At least we can hear him loud and clear this time during the trial.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 05:43pm
This is the power of Indian democracy and independent judiciary system. If he is guilty then punish him hard. UPA corruption has looted millions of hard earned money of Indian.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 06:01pm
@Indian Mumbai: you forgot: "theek hai...?"
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 06:03pm
Ajab Corruption Ki Ghazab Kahani....!
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 06:17pm
@Indians Pakistan supreme court did sent the PM of Pakistan Yousuf Raza packing and dismissed him on initially corruption charges(on Zardari related to the Swiss cases) and later on contempt of court on him.
Also Bhutto was hanged when indicted by courts on a single murder charge. supreme court and high courts are competent and clean relatively...its the lower courts where lies the problem with cases going on for years on end.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 06:30pm
@Kamal Pasha.
Lalu prasad is convicted for 4 years. Now he is out on bail. Gandhi's time will come soon. Vadhra & co., will be surely caught soon...Vadhra has closed down all his businesses. Priyanka will also g
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 06:32pm
@Harmony
Those cases are in courts. Soon they also will be convicted.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 07:06pm
@sahil Both the countries had bad politicians in the past as well as at present.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 07:07pm
@Dwaraka Nath don't be so pakistan centric. Pakistan has its own dynamics. China's Guangdong province economy is larger than all of India. Just stick to your country. When you get into obsessed filled comparisons, it shows your insecurities and the others higher value.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 08:17pm
If MMS had ruled 5 more years , the whole country would have been looted and plundered
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 08:23pm
remote held, remote owner is free till date but not for long time. countdown started.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 08:39pm
Mr.Singh kept quite when looters from his ally, the DMK party were embezzling the treasury to the tune of 40 Billion USD. Actually, if you visit the rural areas you'll know that India is a very poor country with people living in thatched huts, unclean streets with no immediate access to drinking water and sanitation. When we hear the amount allocated to defense, salaries perks to government employees, concessions to the political and bureaucratic class...we realize that unlike France, Russia, China this is only major country which has never had a true people's revolution. Someday it will happen.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 08:42pm
@Zak likewise don't be anti indian mr.zak..!! concentrate on pakistan development instead of thinking about against india
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 08:47pm
@kranti - I hope they do...but seriously, how many have been convicted thus far?
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 09:38pm
He was a good honest man, who wanted to resolve IOK with Pakistan, but was betrayed by the indian army and the corrupt round him, who make money by keeping the conflict alive.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 10:03pm
MMSji is a good man. Men under him were crooks and controlled by Gandhi's. I hope our SC clears him soon.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 10:21pm
@Zak , endian economy is a shameless small size of china,yet they have guts to brag abt it on forums.
And china and endia have almost same pop sizes. yet this state.
height of downtroddenness.
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 11:28pm
@Dwaraka Nath Dwaraka Ji you think so ??? Grapes on the other side of the fence always sweeter that on our side, isn't it ???
Recommend
0
Mar 11, 2015 11:58pm
@Shamain: How long will we become happy by comparing India with China?
When can we come out of this complacency and build our own house better?
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 08:43am
@satya prabhu The problem with this `clean' guy was he was more loyal to a family than he was to India. So when they looted the country he just looked away.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 08:45am
@Kamal Pasha. That's true. But people caught engaging in corruption or abetting it as Manmohan Singh should go through the legal proceedings and face the consequences.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 08:50am
@Ashraf Our systems are also corrupt. But we have an independent judiciary, checks and balances like Comptroller Auditor general and active opposition in the parliament and state assemblies which bring scams to light
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 09:13am
@Shamain The same with Indian and Pak economies.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 09:37am
@Harmony Jayalalitha, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Om Prakash Chautala to name a few politicians who have been convicted.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 09:40am
@N.S Bhutto was hanged by a military regime.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 09:42am
@Shamain Go thru' the CIA report. over the next few years India will be the world's third largest economy, displacing Europe and Japan. We are growing at faster rate than China starting this year.
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 03:09pm
@Ash ,no very diff.
Compare gdp per capita. Compared to china you are in gutters
And compring pak with endia is honestly pakistan's insult if we check economic indicators
Recommend
0
Mar 12, 2015 03:09pm
@Sanjay Guha - those convictions were on sexual offences?
Recommend
0
