The Supreme Court on Monday refused to modify its order on former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Ranjit Sinha's plea that SIT probe should not have been ordered against him.
A bench headed by Justice M B Lokur said that the order has already been passed in the matter.
The apex court had last week constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the current CBI director to look into the allegations of Sinha trying to influence the probe in the coal scam cases when he was heading the probe agency.
Senior advocate Vikash Singh, appearing for Sinha, referred to the alleged Sahara-Birla payoff case and the apex court had not considered the diary entries as cogent material for probe.
"The apex court is one. This order was passed after the order in alleged Sahara-Birla payoff case was given by another bench of apex court. This order should not have been passed and therefore I am seeking modification of that order", Singh said.
The bench also comprising Justices AK Sikri and Kurian Joseph denied the request to modify the order.
Singh then said that he would file a plea for recall of the order, to which the court said he was at liberty to do so.
Sinha was indicted by apex court-appointed panel which had opined that he had influenced and tried to scuttle the probe into coal scam cases.
The apex court had on July 12 last year reserved its order on the issue after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that the panel headed by former CBI special director M L Sharma has held that Sinha's meetings with some high-profile accused in the scam, prima facie indicated that there was an attempt to influence the investigation.
Rohtagi, who had only received an initial report of the panel for perusal on condition of confidentiality, had said he had gone through the report which has found that the visitors' diary at Sinha's residence was genuine.
However, he had said the correctness of entries in that diary can only be ascertained in the court through evidence.
(With PTI inputs)
