Indian court summons ex-PM Singh in coal scam case

NEW DELHI: Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh was has been summoned as an accused by a special court in a coal block allocation scam case.
Besides Singh, the court also summoned industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary PC Parakh, two officials of Hindalco for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, etc. All the accused have been directed to appear before the court on April 8, the Times of India reported.
Wednesday’s development, in the case relating to allocation of Talabira II block to Hindalco when Singh was also holding the portfolio of coal, comes as a huge embarrassment for Singh.
The court order came after the CBI filed its final report in the case after the agency had questioned Singh about the developments, which took place in the Ministry of Coal as well as the PMO after industrialist Birla had allegedly written two letters dated May 7, 2005 and June 17, 2005 to him requesting for allocation of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.
Singh was reportedly questioned by the CBI in January and the agency is said to have asked him about a coal field in Talabira block that was allotted in 2005 to Hindalco, whose chairman is KM Birla.