New Delhi: Days after alleging in his book that the CBI was resorting to “witch hunt” in the Coalgate scam, the investigating agency in all likelihood will soon question former coal secretary P.C. Parakh, in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in the allocations of Talabira-II coal blocks to Hindalco in late 2005.
The agency recently examined some of the top executives Aditya Birla Group in connection with the case. The former coal secretary in his book Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths has claimed that the multi-crore coal block allocation scam could have been avoided if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asserted in pushing reforms including open bidding of coal blocks.
Sources said, “The agency will soon issue summons to the former coal secretary for questioning likely on next week. Some senior officials of the Aditya Birla Group have already been examined.” The CBI on October 15, 2013 had booked industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mr Parakh.
