SC raps CBI, demands coal truth from chief by May 6

STERN Don’t take instructions from political masters, Supreme Court tells agency

NEW DELHI: Angry over alleged political interference in the coal blocks allocation scam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for keeping it in the dark about having shared a draft copy of its probe report with the government.

Dismayed at the CBI breaking its trust, the Supreme Court directed the agency’s director Ranjit Sinha to file a “truthful affidavit” by May 6 disclosing why the law officer representing it had made a misleading statement in the court on March 12 that the status report on the coalgate scam probe was not shared with anyone.

The top court said sharing of information with the government about the investigation had “shaken the entire process”, and the CBI need not take any instructions from “political masters”.

“Our first exercise will be to liberate CBI from political inter- ference,” said a three- judge bench headed by justice RM Lodha. The proceedings in the Supreme Court kept the government firmly on the back foot and its discomfiture will continue at least until the next hear- ing on May 8 at which the CBI has to answer the key question of who asked it to make changes, if any, in the draft status report submitted in the court.

Law minister Ashwani Kumar, said to have seen the draft report, is under increasing pressure to quit, though PM Manmohan Singh has stood by him so far.

CONTINUED ON P10 RELATED REPORTS, P10

STEPPING ON TOO MANY COALMINES, P12