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CBI examines former PM Manmohan Singh in coal scam

BJP made coal scam public, we worked very hard. Inquiry should be strict: Kirit Somaiya (whistleblower) on Frmr PM Manmohan Singh — ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2015

Frmr PM & frmr Govt conducted self with utmost transparency: Manish Tewari (Cong) on #CoalScam #FrmrPMManmohanSingh pic.twitter.com/I4hz2EQY1k — ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2015

Frmr PM & frmr Govt conducted self with utmost transparency: Manish Tewari (Cong) on #CoalScam #FrmrPMManmohanSingh pic.twitter.com/I4hz2EQY1k — ANI (@ANI_news) March 11, 2015

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कोयला घोटाला — मनमोहन को आरोपी के तौर पर समन

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on Wednesday summoned as an accused by a special court in a coal block allocation scam case .Besides Singh, the court also summoned industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary PC Parakh, two officials of Hindalco for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating etc. All accused have been directed to appear before the court on April 8.Today's development, in the case relating to allocation of Talabira II block to Hindalco when Singh was also holding the portfolio of coal, comes as a huge embarrassment for Singh.The court order came after the CBI filed its final report in the case after the agency had questioned Singh about the developments which took place in the ministry of coal as well as the PMO after industrialist Birla had allegedly written two letters dated May 7, 2005 and June 17, 2005 to him requesting for allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.Singh was reportedly questioned by the CBI in January and the agency is said to have asked him about a coal field in Talabira block that was allotted in 2005 to Hindalco, whose chairman is KM Birla.Record Manmohan Singh's statement in coal block case, court tells CBIThe court had in December asked for Manmohan Singh to be examined. Before the court's order, the CBI had suggested it would like to drop the case against Hindalco and others saying it could not find evidence against them.Hindalco, which is part of the $40 billion Aditya Birla Group, had first been refused the coal field it sought, but the decision was later reversed. The company has denied any wrongdoing and the PM had in a statement in 2013 defended the action.The scam dubbed "coalgate" surfaced after the CAG report in 2012 questioned the government's practice of awarding coal mining concessions to companies without competitive bidding.The Supreme Court last year scrapped nearly 214 coal blocks allocated by successive governments over the past two decades.