Agency wants him as Special Prosecutor in coal case

After apparently giving a negative report on Gopal Subramanium’s elevation as a Supreme Court judge just days ago, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday did a U-turn to say that it’s now eager to have him as its Special Prosecutor in the coal blocks allocation scam trial.

The agency’s turnaround comes days after reports by it and the Intelligence Bureau led the government to reject Mr. Subramanium’s appointment as a Supreme Court judge.

The rejection had led to Mr. Subramanium opting out of the race, saying it is the best thing to do to “uphold my self-respect and dignity”.

On Friday, Mr. Subramanium’s name came up during a hearing of a Special Bench led by Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha on the coal scam. The hearing revolved around the importance of appointing a person with “impeccable dignity, integrity and a fine legal mind” as Special Prosecutor to conduct the trial in the coal scam cases.

Prashant Bhushan, counsel for NGO Common Cause, handed over a list of four senior lawyers in which Mr. Subramanium’s name also featured. “If he (Subramanium) is agreeable, nothing like that,” CJI Lodha remarked.