New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Friday handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) files related to the coal blocks allocated to Hindalco, news agencies quoted sources as saying.
“The CBI had sought the file related to the allocation. We gave the file and got the receipt,” a PMO official said.
Earlier, CBI had on Tuesday written to the PMO seeking these records, three days after the top office had said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved it on the basis of “merits” of the case placed before him.
CBI sources had said the move came after filing of status report before the Supreme Court where the agency has informed the apex court about the latest case registered by it against Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh.
The agency has also mentioned about “competent authority” in the FIR which the PMO had explained in its statement is the Prime Minister who was holding the charge as Coal Minister in 2005 when the decision was taken.
PMO has termed the decision to allot Talabira coal block to Hindalco as “appropriate”.