NEW DELHI (Economy India): A Delhi court on Thursday accepted the CBI’s closure report in a case concerning alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks to Nippon Denro Ispat Limited (NDIL), observing that the investigation did not establish evidence of criminal conspiracy, cheating or corruption against the company or any public servant.
Special CBI Judge Virender Kumar Kharta was hearing protest petitions filed by Congress leaders Sandeep Dixit and Manickam Tagore, who had challenged the Central Bureau of Investigation’s closure report and sought either the summoning of the accused or a further investigation into the matter.
The CBI had submitted its closure report on December 23, 2023, after investigating allegations linked to the allocation of coal blocks to NDIL.
Court Finds No Evidence of Criminal Conspiracy or Corruption
The case centred on allegations that there were irregularities in the allocation process involving coal blocks awarded to Nippon Denro Ispat.
After considering the CBI’s investigation and the objections raised through the protest petitions, the court accepted the agency’s conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to establish criminal wrongdoing.
The findings mean that the allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption against NDIL and the concerned public servants were not substantiated by the investigation.
Congress Leaders Had Challenged Closure Report
The protest petitions were filed by Congress leaders Sandeep Dixit and Manickam Tagore, who sought further action in the case.
They had asked the court either to summon the persons named in connection with the allegations or direct a further probe into the matter.
The petitions challenged the CBI’s closure report dated December 23, 2023.
However, after examining the material before it, the court accepted the closure report, bringing the proceedings arising from the CBI investigation to a close.
Coal-Block Allocation Cases
The case is part of a broader set of investigations into alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks during the earlier coal-allocation regime.
The CBI had investigated various cases relating to the allocation process, with several matters subsequently being taken up by courts.
In the NDIL matter, however, the investigation did not find sufficient evidence to support allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating or corruption, leading the agency to file the closure report.
The court’s acceptance of the report provides a judicial conclusion to the proceedings arising from these particular allegations against Nippon Denro Ispat Limited and the concerned public servants.
(Economy India)
