SC-appointed panel says ex-CBI chief tried to influence coal scam probe

New Delhi: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that apex court panel, appointed to inquire into the allegations of scuttling of the coal block allocation scam probe by then CBI director Ranjit Sinha, has indicated that prima facie there was an attempt to influence the investigation.

Rohatgi, who was provided with the copy of the interim report, said he had gone through the report of the panel headed by former CBI special director M L Sharma which has found that the visitors' diary at Sinha's residence was genuine.

However, he said that the correctness of entries in the visitors' diary can only be ascertained in the court of law through evidence.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Sinha, refuted the allegation saying the entries in the register or the diary were dubious or fictitious as the former CBI director was not in the national capital on many of those days.

Taking note of the submissions, a bench headed by Justice M B Lokur reserved its order for passing directions.

The apex court-appointed panel is investigating alleged scuttling of probe into coal block allocation scam cases by Sinha whose meetings with accused persons have been held as "completely inappropriate".

Earlier, the court had received an initial report of the Sharma panel and given it to the Attorney General for his perusal on condition of maintaining its confidentiality.

The copy of the report was given to the AG as the bench wanted his assistance after the Sharma panel had sought apex court's direction for supply of documents relating to preliminary enquiry into some of the matters in which the probe was closed.

On December 7 last year, the court had ordered handing over of the original visitors' diary of the official residence of the former CBI director to the Sharma-led panel.

The bench then appointed a panel headed by Sharma who later sought the visitors' diary for proceeding with the probe.