New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered the enforcement Directorate to file the status report of alleged irregularities in coal block allocation (between 1993 and 2009) by February 8.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice R.M. Lodha, directed the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit report regarding the money laundering and violation of foreign exchange rules carried out in the coal gate.
With the centre granted on Wednesday CBI more financial control and given its chief, the powers of secretary, the bench would consider CBI's status report on February 10.
The CBI told the court that “substantial” progress has been made in the coal cases and it may conclude all preliminary enquiries in a month.
The court also allowed the CBI's application to initiate sending Letters Rogatory to Malaysia to get its assistance in the probe against a foreign company.
The CBI had sought the court's permission to probe a foreign company that claimed to be a partner of an accused Indian company.
The CBI has initiated over 14 regular cases on coal block allocations, including those against MP Naveen Jindal and former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao in relation to coal block allocation and against K M Birla and against former coal secretary P C Parakh for alleged illegality in grant of blocks to Hindalco Industries Ltd.
