Coal-gate Controversy

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  Coal-Gate: Without Naming Him, Court Asks Why Former PM Wasn't Examined

  A court in Delhi today asked the country's premier investigating agency why it had not questioned former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the controversial and allegedly illegal allocation in 2005 of a coal block to a firm owned by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla. Dr Singh held direct charge of the Coal Ministry at the time.

• CBI Drops Coal Scam Case Against Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla

  The CBI has said it would like to end its investigation into one of the most controversial episodes of the scandal known as "Coal-gate" - as it has found "no evidence of criminality" in the allegation that one of the country's most-respected industrialists, Kumar Mangalam Birla, colluded with a former top coal ministry bureaucrat, PC Parkah, to ill...

• Coal-Gate: CBI shares details of Birla case with Supreme Court, say sources

  The CBI has shared details with the Supreme Court about its controversial case against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and the government's former coal secretary PC Parakh. The agency has said the men conspired to ensure "undue favour" to Mr Birla's firm, Hindalco, which landed two coal blocks in Odisha in 2005. The allocation has been defended...

• Coal scam: CBI files status report on probe after controversy over PM's role

  The CBI today filed a status report briefing the Supreme Court on its progress in the coal block allocation scam case or 'Coal-Gate'.

• CBI on coal scam: probe still on, PM's Office under the scanner

  The Prime Minister's Office was drawn into fresh controversy after the CBI on Tuesday filed an FIR accusing top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the 40-billion-dollar (Rs. 2,50,000 crore) Aditya Birla Group, and the government's former coal secretary PC Parakh of conspiracy in the coal allotments.

• Three months after he resigned, Ashwani Kumar headed to Japan

  Nearly three months after he resigned as Union Law minister over coal-gate controversy, Ashwani Kumar has been appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his Special Envoy to visit Japan in the rank of a Cabinet Minister.

• Ashwani Kumar says he resigned to end controversy: Full statement

  Ashwani Kumar today addressed the media saying had done no wrong but resigned to put an end to the controversy. Mr Kumar resigned last night after being embroiled in a controversy that he vetted the CBI report of coal allocation submitted to the Supreme Court.

• Did nothing wrong, resigned to end controversy, insists Ashwani Kumar

  Ashwani Kumar today insisted that his "conscience remains clear," and that he resigned as Law Minister "to put an end to controversy." Addressing the media at his residence, Mr Kumar added that his resignation does not "imply wrongdoing," that "certain political decisions need to be taken," and that he remains a "loyal foot soldier of the (Congress...

• Coal-Gate: more meetings for CBI director that could stir controversy

  In one searing observation after another at a hearing this week, the Supreme Court made it clear that it believes the government's control over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an imprecation that must be purged. Its judges said, "We have to insulate CBI from political and any other type of interference."

• At Congress war-room, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar faced tough questions

  Tough questions were put to Law Minister Ashwani Kumar as his party asked how it should defend his role in the raging controversy centred around his changing a CBI report on its investigation on "Coal-Gate." On Wednesday, the minister was in the hot seat at the Congress War Room, the office on Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, where meetings are usually h...

• Coal-Gate: Law Minister Ashwani Kumar called meeting, now tries to blame Attorney General

  A day after the Supreme Court's lacerating criticism of the CBI allowing the government to access its report on its coal investigation, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, the lead player in the controversy, tried to deflect the blame.

• Coal-Gate: Supreme Court hearing tomorrow, PM Manmohan Singh meets Attorney General GE Vahanvati

  Amid a controversy that the opposition cites as grounds for his resignation, the Prime Minister met Attorney General GE Vahanvati to discuss the government's strategy on the scandal nick-named "Coal-Gate," centred around coal fields that were allocated to private firms without a transparent bidding process.

• Scrap all coal block allocations between 1993 and 2008, recommends parliamentary panel report: sources

  Parliament continues to witness fresh disruptions today as a united Opposition has upped the ante over the twin controversies of 2G and coal scam. And in what could provide it with fresh ammunition is a report by a standing committee on allocation of coal blocks that is expected to be tabled today. The report, sources say, is damning for the govern...

• Coal-gate: sources close to Law Minister offer detailed defence

  A meeting called by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, where he allegedly made changes to a report that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would submit three days later to the Supreme Court, could prove to be perilous for the government and the investigating agency. But sources close to the Law Minister describe the controversy as "a storm in a tea...

• Coal scam report controversy: Not under pressure from government, says CBI

  Government sources have admitted that the Law Ministry did hold "consultations" with the Central Bureau of Investigation on the coal scam case. But they say this consultation was advisory in nature and no pressure was exerted on the CBI to alter its status report to the Supreme Court. The government faces allegations that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar...