NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday summoned former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Coal Secretary P.C. Parakh and industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others as accused in a coal block allocation scam case.

“I am upset, but this is a part of life,” Dr Singh told reporters after the court ordered him to appear on April 8. “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.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar summoned the six accused for the alleged offences punishable for criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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

Rejecting the CBI’s plea for closing the case, Special Judge Prasahar asked all the accused persons to appear on the next date of hearing.

On January 20 this year, the CBI recorded the statement of Dr Singh in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of an Odisha coal block.

The CBI had earlier sought closure of the case. However, when the Special Judge pulled it up for filing a patchy probe report, it filed a revised one and took a U-turn, stating that “there is prima facie enough material on record” to prosecute Mr Parakh and Mr Birla.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2015

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