New Delhi: Coalgate Scam, also dubbed as the Heaviest Scam of Independent India  has ushered a new controversy when CBI refused to file Affidavit in the Supreme Court that Government was unaware of the details of Investigation Report filed by  the agency in the Supreme Court.
As per reports,  that senior CBI officials, including director Ranjit Sinha, were summoned by Law Minister Ashwini Kumar days before the status report was filed. He vetted the Investigation report and asked the CBI to make several amendments in the Investigation report.
“We resisted as much as we could, but yes, some toning down was done following the meeting,” a CBI officer present at the meeting in Shastri Bhavan said.
Another reports suggests that Prime Minister’s Office also vetted the report though CBI Director Ranjit Sinha was not present at the meeting.
Last month, when asked by a bench of Justices RM Lodha, J Chelameswar and Madan B Lokur, Government had asserted that the CBI did not share the contents of the status report with the political leadership.
“It is meant for the eyes of the Judges only and that the report is a classified document only for apprising the court about the progress in the probe,” additional solicitor general (ASG) Harin Raval had asserted as he tried to assuage court’s apprehension about political interference with investigation into one of the biggest scams.
Eyeing Suspicion, the bench directed CBI director to file a personal affidavit that the report “was vetted by him and nothing contained therein has been shared with the political executive and that the same procedure will be followed in respect of other subsequent status reports that may be filed before this court”.
Since CBI Director has refused to file the affidavit, it may multiply the problems for the Manmohan Singh led UPA Government, which was in power during 2004-09, when this Scam took place.
As per allegations, the Prime Minister’s Office used its position in differential allotment of Coal Blocks  to some private companies at much low prices without any fair bidding process resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 1.86 Lakhs crores.
The CBI has named a dozen Indian firms in a First Information Report (FIR), the first step in a criminal investigation. These FIRs accuse them of overstating their net worth, failing to disclose prior coal allocations, and hoarding rather than developing coal allocations. Â The CBI officials investigating the case have speculated that bribery may be involved.