New Delhi:
The coal scam, which has already hit the government hard, now appears to be edging in the Prime Minister's Office.
As part of its investigation, the CBI has this week questioned two bureaucrats who were posted in the Prime Minister's Office when the coal blocks were allotted to private firms at undervalued prices.
The officials were reportedly asked for details of some coal fields that were allotted to private firms between 2006 and 2009, when Dr Manmohan Singh held direct charge of the Coal Ministry.
An earlier controversy related to members of the Prime Minister's Office vetting a report by the CBI that was meant to update the supreme Court on its investigation. Ashwani Kumar was forced to quit as Law Minister over allegations that he asked for changes to the report to protect the government.
The CBI is scheduled to give the Supreme Court another on July 10.
The agency has already said the government's screening committee which processed applications from firms did not conduct background checks in a process that lacked transparency.
On Thursday, the CBI will question former Coal Secretary HC Gupta who headed that committee. The government was attacked by the opposition for initially refusing to sanction Mr Gupta's questioning. It later relented.
The CBI needed permission because it is treating Mr Gupta, who is still a government official, as an accused in the case. The two mid-level officials who have been questioned in the Prime Minister's Office were treated as witnesses, said sources.
A CBI press release denied that the agency plans to question TKA Nair, an advisor to the PM, who was the Principal Secretary or the senior-most bureaucrat in the Prime Minister's Office during the period under investigation.
As part of its investigation, the CBI has this week questioned two bureaucrats who were posted in the Prime Minister's Office when the coal blocks were allotted to private firms at undervalued prices.
The officials were reportedly asked for details of some coal fields that were allotted to private firms between 2006 and 2009, when Dr Manmohan Singh held direct charge of the Coal Ministry.
An earlier controversy related to members of the Prime Minister's Office vetting a report by the CBI that was meant to update the supreme Court on its investigation. Ashwani Kumar was forced to quit as Law Minister over allegations that he asked for changes to the report to protect the government.
The CBI is scheduled to give the Supreme Court another on July 10.
The agency has already said the government's screening committee which processed applications from firms did not conduct background checks in a process that lacked transparency.
On Thursday, the CBI will question former Coal Secretary HC Gupta who headed that committee. The government was attacked by the opposition for initially refusing to sanction Mr Gupta's questioning. It later relented.
The CBI needed permission because it is treating Mr Gupta, who is still a government official, as an accused in the case. The two mid-level officials who have been questioned in the Prime Minister's Office were treated as witnesses, said sources.
A CBI press release denied that the agency plans to question TKA Nair, an advisor to the PM, who was the Principal Secretary or the senior-most bureaucrat in the Prime Minister's Office during the period under investigation.
